Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Strategy and Differentiation of Sia free essay sample

CASE 3 – SINGAPORE AIRLINES GROUP IDENTIFY ISSUES 1. Global financial crisis (mid 2007 onwards) further burdened by the collapse of some of the largest financial institutions in the world. b. As demand for air travel is significantly impacted by income levels, customers tend to be more price sensitive during crisis time and will usually opt for budget travel or in some cases will not travel at all. c. Led to reduced demand for travel d. Airline reduced the passenger and cargo capacity however majority of their costs pertains to fixed costs (84%) which will still be incurred despite the reduction in capacity. 2. Faced with: a. Increasing operation costs such as fuel (due to the rising oil prices) and labor (taken care by union). 3. Exposed to: a. Exchange rate risk as certain costs (i. e. oil prices) are denominated in foreign currencies such as USD. Though exchange rate risk can be managed by hedging, there’s also risk involved in hedging strategies (locked into a high price when oil prices are declining rapidly). We will write a custom essay sample on Strategy and Differentiation of Sia or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page b. Unable to match costs and revenues due to fluctuation in foreign currency exchange rate (very volatile). c. Increasing financial risk due to high level of debts undertaken to finance the purchase of new planes. . SIA is faced with more and greater competition in the airline industry – especially after entry of budget carriers into certain region; expected to reduce SIA’s profit. (page 33) 5. Higher government intervention in the airline industry as compared to other industries – eg. Country law regarding unions would affect the wages and salaries component of an airline’s cost structure (page 32) 6. The needs to constantly enhance and improve their aircraft facilities and food menu as travelers nowadays are more demanding. (They know what they want in order to be a innovator and not follower). 7. The decline in passenger and cargo loads is greater as compared to rival – Cathay Pacific (Why is that so? ) 8. Significant exposure to the geographical epicenters of the crisis (Europe and North America) led to detrimental impact on SIA’s result. 9. Is there a need to amend the premium pricing policy during time of crisis in order to reduce the opportunities for rivals to steal precious market share. (Page 42) 10. Threats posed by competitors: a. HK KL – Opening of state of the art airports. b. Manila, Taipei Seoul – New Cargo hubs which threatens Changi Airport as a preeminent transshipment center. CURRENT STRATEGIES Business–level Strategy (SIA) Strategy refers to an integrated and coordinated set of commitments and actions designed to exploit core competencies and gain a competitive advantage. Business-Level Strategy: an integrated and coordinated set of commitments and actions designed to exploit core competencies and gain a competitive advantage by exploiting core competencies in specific product markets. Differentiation Strategy: An integrated set of actions taken to produce goods/services (at an acceptable cost) that customers perceive as being different in ways that are important to them. SIA customers are willing to pay a premium for the â€Å"perceived† product value which is the SIA service-A Great Way to Fly. Basis for Differentiation Focus on Customer-centric rather than on Pricing. â€Å"Human software†- golden inflight standard; specific touch points. Customers are important assets to SIA and they effectively manage their relationship by getting customers involved in their business (co-ordinating customers in the service they are going to provide) SIA has a frequent flyer program which has an excellent database containing the loyal passengers’ preferences during the flight. At the same time, SIA uses the Compliments to Complaints Ratio model (34 compliments to 1 complaint per 10 000pax) to gauge their customers’ satisfaction in the different classes monthly. Furthermore, SIA conducts regular passengers’ opinion surveys to monitor the quality of service from ground handling, reservation, entertainment system their cabin services. The results from the surveys would be tabulated into the Service Performance Index (SP Index) which would be disseminated to the employees in the organization. Innovating and consistently upgrading differentiated features to enhance passengers’ comfort are critical success factors. SIA pioneered â€Å"frills† like free alcoholic drinks, ice-cream as dessert (in all classes) which were followed by other airlines. The airline also provides all passengers, regardless of class, with cocktails, fine wines, and Krisworld on-demand in-flight movies at no extra charge. Moreover, SIA has introduced the innovative widest bed in Business Class the non-stop flight from SIN to LAX EWR. †¢ 40-30-30 rule: SIA focus 40% of its resources on training motivating its staffs, 30% on the review of processes procedures and finally 30% on creating new products service ideas. †¢ Deployment of Technology On the technology side, SIA still maintains the youngest fleet of aircraft amongst all major air carriers, and keeps to the stringent policy of replacing older aircrafts for newer, better models. They have always been first in line to take delivery of new aircraft types like Boeing 747 jumbo jets, Boeing 777, and they are the first airline to fly the Airbus Super jumbo A-380 in 2007. The strategy behind the technology program is clear: It enhances cost efficiency to use the latest aircrafts by investing during economic downturns, aircraft manufacturers tend to provide discounts to any buyers to bail them out during recession. Maintaining the youngest generation of aircrafts provides SIA with some of the lowest fuel costs in the industry. This is very significant since 15-20% of an airlines’ total costs derive from fuel. On top of this, SIA carefully hedges up to 50% of their fuel contracts two years in advance to avoid cyclical and often large volatility in fuel prices. Finally, the financial and cash position has allowed SIA to weather the short-term dips in the industry better than the competition. SIA has agreed to order eight more Boeing 777-300ERs in August 2011 to support growth plans for the years ahead. â€Å"The order is in line with our longstanding policy of operating a young and modern fleet. This enables us to offer our latest cabin products which have proven extremely popular with our customers. †(CEO-Goh Choon Phong) Uniqueness of Business Concept The use of the ‘Singapore Girl’ icon is unique in the industry; it can be immediately associated with Singapore Airlines itself. The icon has become so strong that Madame Tussaud’s Museum in London started to display the Singapore Girl in 1994 as the first commercial figure ever. The stringent service training strict grooming standards are ingrained onto the new cabin crew trainees to uphold the company’s image they are also expected to conform to the ‘SIA culture’ when they graduated from the training school. †¢ Incentives Service Above All the Rest (SOAR), a initiative to provide the existing cabin crews with series of training workshops for service conversation session with the management. The latest SOAR campaign is: †Seize Every Opportunity†. Winning Ways Award was instituted to recognize reward crews who have provided excellent service to passengers. †¢ Marketing Strategy Marketing is an investment to SIA rather than an expense. Singapore Airlines has been as consistent in its communication vehicles as in its brand strategy. The primary message Singapore Airlines A Great Way to Fly has been consistently conveyed in exclusive print media and also in advertisements to highlight the brand’s positioning. All communication messages are featured through the iconic Singapore Girl in different themes and settings. SIA has chosen to focus on one aspect of the brand strategy which is the in-flight hospitality and warmth shown by the Singapore Girl rather than trying to communicate the entire brand benefits through its messages. This has led to a focused and consistent message for SIA since the airline began its advertising campaign. In addition, Singapore Airlines uses the launch of their new aircrafts as part of   their marketing purposes. An example of this was their inaugural A380 flight to SYD launched in 2007, which attracted huge publicity in global media and kept the innovation promise of this brand alive. Corporate-level Strategy SIA follows a strategy of diversification. The SIA Group initially has 27 subsidiaries, spanning in all fields relating to the airline industry including SATS, SIAEC, SIA Cargo etc. The subsidiaries include 100% ownership of SIlkAir, 49% of Virgin Atlantic Tiger Airways. SIA launched their own carrier for local and short-haul routes, Tiger Airways, to stay at the forefront of competition. The aim is to avoid dilution of the core premium brand, Singapore Airlines. However, in 2009 SATS 81% was divested from SIA group. It was said that SIA would be able to concentrate more on its airline and aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul businesses. (then CEO-Chew Choon Seng) SIA joined the Star Alliance in 2000 as part of its intentional strategy to go into new markets as Singapore has no domestic markets like Australia to go into. SIA Group has quietly investing in China through strategic alliances with local organizations as the East Asia market is a significant source of revenue for SIA. Investing in information technology is another effective strategy of SIA. The website is considered one of the most advanced user-friendly in the industry. Passengers can almost do any itinerary online w/o visiting a travel agent. Effective use of IT helps to reduce costs enhance service levels for customers. SIA is also well-known for their consciousness for profit cost effectiveness. Any proposed innovation is analyzed in terms of customers’ comfort versus cost. Every manager guards their KPI strongly is willing to challenge any decision made if they see the resources being wasted. Even the front-line   cabin crews are told to reduce wastage onboard. Profitability does not come about only by cost controlling. SIA is able to command a premium price for their tickets especially on West Asia routes with almost none existence of discount available. Even during the bad times, SIA is hardly seen using cost as a strategy to win the customers back as they believe the quality of the service would prevail.

Friday, March 20, 2020

Interoperability of PANs, LANs and WANs The WritePass Journal

Interoperability of PANs, LANs and WANs Abstract Interoperability of PANs, LANs and WANs AbstractIntroduction2.0   Background2.1. Bluetooth (PAN)3.0   Bluetooth, WLAN and WiMax Interoperability3.1  Ã‚   Solution to the coexistence problem of WiMax, Bluetooth and WLAN3.2  Ã‚   Seamless Handover4.0   Ã‚  Ã‚  Usage Scenario  4.1.   Interoperability Issues.5.0  Ã‚   ConclusionBibliographyRelated Abstract With the explosive growth of mobile wireless communication technologies, network integration is vital for next generation wireless networks as the different technologies available have been optimized for diverse usage models. This paper addresses the interoperability of Bluetooth, WLAN and WiMax focusing mainly on interference and handover management. Firstly the coexistence issue of Bluetooth, WLAN and WiMax is addressed as they operate in the adjacent (almost overlapping) bands. Secondly a new standard aimed at providing a framework for media independent handover (MIH) among diverse networks is presented. Finally using a usage scenario, it is further shown how the MIH framework helps in the handover management taking into consideration user preference and available resources in the above named networks. Keywords: MIH; interoperability; coexistence; Introduction Wireless communication growth has been on the increase in the past years, thanks to the advantages they offer which include deployment flexibility, compatibility and user mobility during communications. Emerged technologies have been designed independently to deal with specific service types, usability domains and user categories.. The need to optimize performance led to the integration of radio access technologies to extend service availability as users expect to be globally reachable everywhere and at all times to the best network possible. For this to be feasible, access networks have to work together to enable users take full advantage of the available options (Piris et al 2009). The IEEE 802.21 standard which provides a framework for Media-Independent Handover (MIH) in diverse networks is discussed in this paper. This standard defines three types of MIH services (event, command, and information) that facilitate the mobility management and handover decision making (lim et al 2009). The interoperability of Bluetooth, WLAN and WiMax is addressed from the interference and handover perspective. The problem of mutual interference between Bluetooth, WLAN and WiMax is analyzed using time multiplexing enabling their coexistence and to further aid their interoperability, the IEEE 802.21 standard which seamlessly enables handover (which occurs frequently due to user preference or allocated resources) among diverse networks is discussed. This paper is organized as follows: Section 2 starts with a background which provides an overview of the wireless technologies considered above. In Section 3, using a collaborative technique, the coexistence problem of Bluetooth, WLAN and WiMax is addressed, the section   goes further on to analyze how the IEEE 802.21 standard makes possible the interoperability of the three technologies. Section 4 provides an illustrative use case that highlight the usage of the Media-Independent Handover Services standard in an integrated wireless environment and some issues associated with their interoperability is discussed. Finally, the paper ends with conclusion and future directions. 2.0   Background 2.1. Bluetooth (PAN) As stated by Bhagwat (2001), Bluetooth 1.1 is a short range wireless link technology intended for cable replacement. Bluetooth   operates in the 2.4 GHz ISM frequency band. As seen in Golmie (2001), Bluetooth’s air interface is based on an antenna power of 1mW and uses Gaussian frequency shift keying (GFSK) as its modulation scheme. Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) divides the channel in 625 µs slot and support a data rate of 700kbps to 3Mbps. Bluetooth uses frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) Song et al (2007). Bluetooth uses authorization and authentication to verify users and their right to connect with each other. As indicated by Johansson et al (1999), Authentication in Bluetooth uses the challenge–response strategy and connection may require a one way, two-way or no authentication which is achieved based on the stored link key or by pairing. Traskback (2000) adds that there are three different security modes present in Bluetooth, Mode 1,2 and 3. 2.2.   Ã‚  WLAN(LAN) 802.11 is a collection of standards for implementing WLAN communication in the designated frequency bands. Currently there are about twenty two(22) amendments(Labiod et al 2007)which all adopt the media access technique called Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA).This work is focused on the 802.11g specification. Song et al (2007) indicates that 802.11g has a coverage of about 75 feets, supports the Direct squence spread spectrum and   Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing signalling method to attain a maximum data rate of 54Mbps. 802.11g operates in the 2.4GHz band. Security in WLAN can be achieved by deploying an authenication mechanism as a means to WLAN access contol and providing confidentiality for wireless data by establishing encrption. The EAP-TLS which provides certificate-based authentication for WLANs, a replaced WEP as it satisfied all the required properties of authentication protocols (Tavallaee, 2007). 2.3.  Ã‚   WIMAX(WAN) Wimax operates on FCC licensed frequency range of 10 to 66GHz and unlincensed frequencies of 2 to 11GHz   and has a theoritical bandwidth and range of 75Mbps and 50Km respectively. IEEE 802.16e, the mobile version of Wimax will be considered in this paper, 802.16e works in the 2.3GHz and 2.5GHz frequency bands and uses OFDM (Zhang Chen, 2008).,the WiMAX MAC is centralized and connection-oriented unlike WLAN MAC that is distributed and connectionless (DeBeasi, 2008). Security in WiMax is based on authentication, encryption and authorization. 3.0   Bluetooth, WLAN and WiMax Interoperability This section analyzes a solution from the MAC layer to handle the coexistence issue between WiMax ,WLAN and Bluetooth and to further aid interoperability, discusses the implementation of the IEEE 802.21 standard which enables seamless handover among diverse networks. 3.1  Ã‚   Solution to the coexistence problem of WiMax, Bluetooth and WLAN The idea is to synchronize the different protocols to ensure that their bandwidth over a shared spectrum is allocated in a time multiplexed, non-concurrent but fair way. By this, interference can be eliminated when these technologies operate in an integrated environment. Considering a usage scenario where a Mobile node(MN) uses a Bluetooth enabled wireless headset to conduct a cellular conversation, while simultaneously downloading email or browsing the Internet through the phones WiMax and WLAN air link interchangeably, Time division multiplexing is uses to mitigate interference as Bluetooth, WLAN and WiMax(band class 2 and 3) operate at adjacent frequencies bands (almost overlapping) thus causing conflict and severe performance degradation(Bitran Eshed, 2007) Firstly, the protocols are synchronized in time. A lowest common denominator is found between the different clock systems and are coordinated accordingly. WiMax time base is based on 5ms frame and Bluetooth is based on 625 µs per slot. 15ms is considered a common factor between the two system clocks during which 3 WiMax frames and 24 Bluetooth slots will be processed(Bitran Eshed, 2007). The addition of the WLAN in the coexistence scheme involves CSMA/CD which is not based on time allocations but on collision detection and the use of random back offs, ibid., p2. To minimize power consumption and to avoid interference, the WLAN   interface is set to sleep mode when it is not transmitting and have the access point buffer all its transmissions – up to a predefined buffer size. When the channel is free and it exits the sleep mode, it sends a trigger frame to the access point, who sends all its buffered data. The figure below is a solution showing how the technologies would operate in the 15ms time interval. Having synchronized the links and identified the fundamental, repetitive pattern,   it is essential to ensure that they remain synchronized throughout the concurrent operation of the links. Figure 1 illustrating time multiplexing of Bluetooth, WLAN and WiMax (Bitran Eshed, 2007) The Bluetooth SCO/HV3 profile defines a repetitive six slot period during which two consecutive slots are used for transmission. Because the Bluetooth interface is used in this scenario for transfer of voice, it is given preference. To avoid interruptions, the WiMax base station refrains from allocating transmission opportunities to the slots used by the Bluetooth. 3.2  Ã‚   Seamless Handover Based on user preference and available resources , the ability to switch (Seamless Handover) between the different technologies has been made possible by the IEEE 802.21 standard which provides a framework for Media-Independent Handover (MIH) in diverse networks. This is discussed below. The IEEE 802.21 standard (media independent handover) was proposed to facilitate interoperability between IEEE 802 and non IEEE 802 technologies (Pontes et al, 2008). The 802.21 framework is called the media independent handover (MIH). MIH provides link layer intelligence and other related network information to upper layers to optimize handovers (Ying et al, 2008). It is assumed that mobile Node has interfaces that supports all three technologies. To sustain uninterrupted user connections during handover across different networks, the handover-enabling functions (MIHF) defined by the IEEE 802.21 is logically introduced between Layer 2 and Layer 3 of the OSI network stack. The MIHF provides available information from lower layers (MAC and PHY) to the higher layers of the protocol stack which are used to make handover and link-selection decisions. Figure 2   MIH framework/architecture (Gupta et al, 2006). As seen in figure 2, The main component of the IEEE 802.21 framework is the MIHF. It provides a consolidated interface to the upper layers independent of the primary access technologies. This is made possible by three services: The Media-independent event service (MIES),the Media-independent information service (MIIS) and the Media independent command service (MICS) The MIES provides services to the upper layers   by   reporting   both   local and   remote events such as changes in link conditions, link status, and link quality. The MICS enables upper layer manage and control the parameters related to link behavior and handovers. The MICS offer commands to the upper layer, with this commands able to manage and send actions to the lower layers. The MIIS facilitates handovers by providing a mechanism for the MIHF to discover available neighboring network information within its vicinity. Hence, MIIS allows mobile nodes to check for available networks in range while using their currently active access network. 4.0   Ã‚  Ã‚  Usage Scenario Considering the same scenario cited above.FMIPv6 signaling is explicitly included as the Layer 3 mobility management protocol The MN request MIIS information and constantly listens to its interfaces. Upon receiving a signal from a WLAN AP accompanied by a 802.11 link detected event from the MAC layer sent to the MIHF, the MN becomes aware of a new connectivity opportunity. The event 802.11 link is sent to the upper layer, particularly sent to FMIPv6   the management protocol which in turn contacts the handover policy engine which pre-verifies the new connection. Depending on the implemented handover policy, the MN searches for information about the new network at the MIIS (such as security, required bandwidth security etc.) Figure 3 shows the operation in detail. The upper layer executes the handover decision taking into account the user’s preference and the resources available at the new network. After the decision has been made, the FMIPv6 signaling begins as illustrated in the figure above. The MN still stays connected to the previous point of attachment to provide a make-before-break approach enabling seamless hand over. When the FMIPv6’s FNA message is received, it indicates that handover has been completed (Pontes et al, 2008). The MN handover complete message releases the resources allocated by WiMax and deactivates the interface. Figure 3 WiMax/WLAN handover using the MIH framework with Bluetooth coexistence (PONTES et al 2008)   4.1.   Interoperability Issues. Inability to control soft handovers:   In the absence of an explicit support at the upper layer, an application is unable to benefit from soft handover capabilities when moving across different networks even if soft handovers are possible at the data link layer. The migrated connection are therefore open to packet loss and performance degradation. (Hsien et al, 2004). Infrastructure Support: Current approaches proposed that Mobile IP (MIP) can handle network layer mobility is only possible if the network provider provides for a home agent. Also the effectiveness of the approaches to achieve host mobility without incurring overhead in different networks, again is limited to the specificity of the networks they are assigned for. (Ibid). Power and Interference Management: Power management becomes a challenge when diverse access networks are integrated in same device. Bluetooth, WLAN and WiMax(band class 2 and 3) operate at adjacent frequencies bands(almost overlapping) thus causing conflict End to end security: Ensuring a trusted, efficient and usage-model appropriate means of authenticating users is a key issues in cross-network connectivity. (Hurwitz Bryan, 2003) as the different network devices have different security settings. 5.0  Ã‚   Conclusion The emergence of heterogeneous wireless access technologies and their interoperability has been a major concern for future wireless systems. In this paper, the interoperability of WiMax, Bluetooth and WLAN have been discussed. Because no technology is good or generic enough to replace all others thus combined usage is a good approach to offer the always best connection. The coexistence of Bluetooth, WLAN and WiMax was analyzed first, taking into consideration the fact that the operate in adjacent (almost overlapping) frequency bands, so are subject to interference. Secondly with the use of the MIH framework, the interoperability of Bluetooth, WLAN and WiMax was illustrated through a common scenario.   Some issues associated with their interoperability were also mentioned. For the future, active research should be performed in this area to completely eliminate these interoperability issues to enable users seamlessly utilize services irrespective of the network concerned for better coverage even at a low cost. Bibliography Bhagwat, P. (2001). IEEE Internet Computing. Bluetooth technology for Short-Range wireless Apps. , 5 (3), 96-103. Bitran, Y., Eshed, E. (2007, June 18). Solving the coexistence of WiMAX, Bluetooth and WiFi in converged handsets. EE Times Design . DeBeasi, P. (2008, March 24). WiMAX INTRODUCTION. Retrieved from mobileparadigm.com/my articles/200803.WiMAXPart1.pdf Golmie, N. (2001). Interference in the 2.4 GHz ISM band: Challenges and solutions.(online). Retrieved from antd.nist.gov/pubs/golmie.pdf. Golmie, N. (2009). Seamless Mobility: Are we there yet? IEEE Wireless Communications National Institute of standards and Technology Gupta, V., Williams, M. G., Johnston, D., McCann, S., Barber, P., Ohba, Y. (2006, July 18). IEEE 802.21 Overview of Standard for Media Independent Handover Services. IEEE 802 Plenary . San Diego. Han, T., Zhang, N., Liu, K., Tang, B., Liu, Y. (2008). Analysis of Mobile WiMAX Security: Vulnerabilities and Solutions. IEEE International Conference , 828. Hsien, H.-Y., Kim, K.-H., Sivakumar, R. (2004). An End-to-End approach for transparent mobility accross heterogeneous wireless networks. Mobile networks and applications , 364. Hurwitz, R., Bryan, P. (2003, November 1). The Future of wireless handsets. Retrieved 2011, from Deviceforge.com: deviceforge.com/articles/AT7085477626.html Jahansson, P., Jahansson, N., Korner, U., Jahannes, E., Svennaqs, G. (1999). 1999 IEEE International Conference Communications, 1999. ICC 99. Short range radio based ad-hoc networking: performance and properties , 3, 1414. Jokela, J., Simpson, F., Zaks, A., Zhu, J. (2007). WPAN/WLAN/WWAN Multi-Radio Coexistence. IEE 802 Plenary. Atlanta. Labiod, H., Afifi, H., Santis, C. D. (2007). WI-FI T M , BLUETOOTH T M , ZIGBEE T M A ND WIMAX TM. The Netherlands: The Springer, P.O. Box 17, 3300 AA Dordrecht. Lansford, J., Nevo, R., Zehav, E. (2000, Nov 7). IEEE P802.15 Working Group for Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs). MEHTA: A method for coexistence between co-located 802.11b and Bluetooth systems . Hillsboro. Lim, W.-S., Kim, D.-W., Suh, Y.-j., Won, J.-J. (2009). mplementation and performance study of IEEE 802.21 in integrated IEEE 802.11/802.16e networks. Computer communication , 32 (1), 134-143. PONTES, A. B., SILVA, D. D., JOSÉ JAILTON, J., O. R. (2008, October 2008). HANDOVER MANAGEMENT IN INTEGRATED WLAN AND MOBILE WIMAX NETWORKS. IEEE Wireless Communications . Prince, J. (2006, November 12). Ensuring WLAN, Bluetooth Coexistence. Retrieved March 2011, from http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/HONSHI/20061121/124164/ Piris, E., Pentikousi, K. (2009). IEEE 802.21: Media-Independent Handover Services. Th e I n t e r n e t P ro to c o l Jo u r n a l , 12 (2), 7-27. Song, M., Shetty, S., Gopalpet, D. (2007). Mobile Networks and Applications. Coexistence of IEEE 802.11b and bluetooth: An Integrated Performance Analysis , 12 (5), 450-459. Tavallaee, M. (2007). â€Å"An Overview of WLAN Authentication Protocols†. Technical report, Univeristy of New Brunswick. Trskbck, M. (2000). Security of Bluetooth. An overview of Bluetooth Security, Department of Electrical and Communications Engineering Helsinki University of . Vainio, J. (2000). Bluetooth security. Proceedings of Helsinki University of Technology, Telecommunications Software and Multimedia Laboratory, Seminar on Internetworking: Ad Hoc Networking . Ying, W., Yun, Z., Jun, Y., Ping, Z. (2008, May 20). An Enhanced Media Independent Handover Framework for Heterogeneous Networks. IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference, 2008. VTC Spring 2008. . , 2306. Zhang, Y., Chen, H.-H. (2008). Mobile Wimax : Towards Broadband Wireless Metropolitian Area Networks. NW: Taylor and Francis group,LLC.

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

What Skills Will You Need in the Future

What Skills Will You Need in the Future What Skill Will Be in High Demand in the Future What would your life looked like in ten years? If you had a chance to take a glance into the future, I bet you’d find yourself pushing forward the career of your dreams. Though, constant mechanization of the working process and replacement of the human resources by computers and various automatic systems add fuel to the fire of the world’s panic attack on career opportunities. Before you throw over your laptop and rush to sign up for each and every skill-training courses, such as cuisine or management classes, stop for a second and give it a thought. What if you already have necessary skills to pursue a new career? Knowing how to cook ravioli or making a worthy PowerPoint presentation will definitely come in hand to get some extra income or for your personal boost, it may occur that your degree has already given you the skills and abilities you need to possess. The Atlantic has published a report highlighting the six most crucial features driving the labor opportunity market of 2025. The growth in impact of the digital world, the ability to examine big data and interpret it, figuring out an applied aspect and cross-world interactions are outlined as the engine of progress of the employment criteria in the future. Technical Thinking: Do We Understand the Numbers? The technological progress is now flourishing faster than we could ever imagine, providing the humanity with outstanding accomplishments in all fields of science and everyday life, heading to the apogee of the engineering thought. Though, computers provide us with great amount of data, the understanding of what the given numbers mean and their interpretation leaves much more work to complete. The ability to analyze the information and numbers will remain in priority. Social Intelligence and Cross-world Collaboration The same way a small group project or any team work require decent directing and managing skills, larger and broader companies and institutions have a strong need in administrating and supporting the international collaboration and keeping the world web interactions in sustainable order. Flexibility and Quickness of Thinking The basic marketing approaches will be always in demand as long as there are products and customers. Though, analyzing the target audience and keeping track of novelties and mainstreams in the society will not remain the only resources for marketing departments. In order to be on top, the ability to get ahead of other players is absolutely crucial. The speed rate of the decision-making and awareness of the significance of the presentation to the investors and shareholders will determine the level of success of your work. Working with a market implies a great deal of ingenuity. A Mindful Design Process There’s a big variety of development techniques for successful project management. Obtaining at least a couple of such techniques in your arsenal will lead ahead in managing any working processes. Understanding the software development life cycle is a great ability the employers are already looking for in their employees.

Sunday, February 16, 2020

Rhetorical Analysis of an Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Rhetorical Analysis of an Argument - Essay Example n and Yaron Brook) argue that human rights and interests are beyond animal rights, but this argument is totally invalid because human beings and animals have equal right to lead peaceful lives. First of all, the authors label the animal rights activists as terrorists and this proves their bias against activism based upon equality and compassion towards other living things. Alex Epstein and Yaron Brook state that, â€Å"It is common to write off terrorist activity and the vicious statements of animal rights leaders as â€Å"extremist†, while maintaining that majority of people in the animal rights movement have benevolent intentions† (n.pag.). Within this context, the authors depend upon Rational Appeals by pointing out the importance of scientific experimentation as tool for survival. To be specific, the authors attract the readers’ attention towards deadly diseases and declare that the activists are not allowing conducting experiments. Besides, the authors make use of Emotional Appeals to influence the readers. For instance, the authors point out the violence and bloodshed created by the activists, but conceals the grass-root level reasons behind the same. The authors proclaim that, â€Å"Ominously, the crimes against Huntingdon are not isolated incidents; animal rights terrorists commit more than 1,000 crimes annually† (n.pag.). Besides, the authors quote scientific journals to prove their argument. This can be considered as the visible example of manipulation, i.e. the misuse of available information to back-up one’s invalid argument. Similarly, the authors depend upon Ethical Appeals to influence the readers. For instance, the authors serve at The Ayn Rand Institute, and this esteemed status as experts within the field of reasoning is cunningly utilized to influence the readers in general. So, one can see that the authors try to create public opinion against animal rights activism and ignores the business interest behind the tests conducted by Huntingdon

Sunday, February 2, 2020

NEW HAIR PRODUCT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

NEW HAIR PRODUCT - Essay Example Marketing strategy. Initially ARG Hairs Group wanted Hair Softe to be carried by supermarkets in UK and Ireland. ARG Hairs Group also plans to open a company website wherein prospective customers can order the product on line. A separate study on the marketing strategy is being prepared to initialize the campaign. Production capability. Hair Softe Shampoo is a commodity item that is saleable for both men and women, and a target of 24,000 ml units of shampoo monthly could easily be sold in the UK market. It has a production capacity of 1,000 ml. units per day, but has the capability to increase future production. Investment plan. An investment of $150,000 and equity capital of ARG Hairs Group are needed to launch the product in the market. Owners’ capital is $65,000.00 while investors will have to provide $150,000 in form of stock equity. 1. The return on the equity of the owner is 9% on the first year of operation. The 9% return on investment is higher than the prevailing bank rate of interest in UK which is 0.5%. UK interest rate is expected to remain at the recent level because of the government’s monetary policy. (Bank of England, 2011) Monetary Policy Decisions. (http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/) 2. The cash flow statement of the company prepared for a 12 month operation shows that for the first three months there is a shortage of cash inflow to sustain all the expenses of the company and there is a need for an outside financing for its day to day operations because of capital expenses during these months. Thereafter, after March, company will have available cash to pay for its loan obligations, taxes and interest and to pay for equity. The cash flow has been prepared based on the 1,000 ml. units of production per day and operations of 24 days in a month. Sales are expected to increase by 5% a month, and profit is also anticipated along the operations. The cash flow statement present all the cash expected to be

Saturday, January 25, 2020

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Internet on Music

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Internet on Music Internet speeds and media convergence have increased the promise of new delivery of content and information. This change has been strongly driven by increasing technological advances; combined with the increase in the rapid uptake of broadband technologies has lead to the increase in broadband penetration. The Internet, due to several factors such as; the increase number of competitors, scale and the increase of speed, have largely affected how the public consume information and have therefore forced companies to re-evaluate their current distribution models but also invest more into technologies that support this upward trend. One such technology product at the forefront of this economical and socialocial change is music distribution. Online Music distribution market is due to grow significantly within the next few years, forcing record labels and retail giants to reconsider their current business practices and model to accommodate this trend. The music industry has always been at the forefront of technological advances, and has the ability to transform its product to multiple mediums to promote the message. Understanding how music is digested is key to understanding how the diversification of the product has significantly changed over the years. Radio lead to records and the compact disc, while now due to the increase of sharing platforms online and the popularity of MP3 players such as the ipod have allowed or some would say encouraged users to licence unauthorized downloading of copyrighted content. Although the music industry has pushed for and placed more pressure in convergence of technological products both software and hardware, developments in online music also raise significant challenges that are likely to be relevant for other digital content sectors as well. The below paper aims to indentify the opportunities and disadvantages the Internet has had on the music industry. The first part of this paper aims to give a brief history of the music industry and what has essentially how it now uses the Internet as a key distribution network. Part two of the paper aims to specify the key opportunities that the Internet has provided the music industry. For all the opportunities, several key challenges the Internet has placed on progression of music industry. Part three aims to analyse these challenges in depth. Finally this paper does not provide a solution towards the challenges identified rather provides a framework in where these challenges are identified and discussed. MUSIC INDUSTRY: A BRIEF RECAP The music industry has always been at the forefront of technological developments. It has contributed or some would say encouraged developments within the commercial environments, entry of new players and new ways to consume music and generate revenue. The Internet allows for new forms of advertising and allows easier access and lower entry points for artistic creation and distribution of music. In 2004 a stream of legitimate music sources became available, which up until then the majority forms of music distribution were illegal. Apple iTunes lead the charge and significantly changed the music landscape by offering a one stop shop that provided a consistent easy to use format that allows customers to pay for songs they want rather then have to purchase full albums as previous forms have focused on. By the end of 2004, there were 230 sites offering over 1m tracks online in the United States and Europe. In 2004, over 200 million songs were downloaded from legitimate services up from 20 million the previous year, which grew streaming on demand, Internet radio and personalised services. (http://www.key4biz.it/download/Digital_Broadband_Content_Music.pdf) 2005 saw the rise of mobile music i.e. ring tones, and saw the increase in popularity of other formats such as music DVDs. It appears demand for music has increased through digital distribution methods and has lead to other forms of music consumption (streaming radio, video clips on DVDs as previously seen on network such as MTV and channel V). Although having gained such popularity the online revenue accounts attributed from these products only accounted for 1-2% of the total revenue. The digitalisation of music has been the main drivers in global technology markets. Although revenues derived from online music sales (hardcopy softcopies); the increase in revenues for hardware for PCs are currently higher then that being derived for music sales/streaming. Through a combination of new business models, new technologies and innovative services provided for consumers the market is developing rapidly to realise the potential for online music. The biggest challenge still remains to be controlling piracy while developing models, which are still economically suitable to consumers that also allow for new participants to enter the market. OPPORTUNITIES The digitalisation of in high quality sound provided an additional boost to the music industry with the compact disc being the lead seller for many years; although new formats such as Sony Mini Disc and Digital Compact cassettes (DCC) were introduced they did not provide to be a huge success. Mainly due to the lack of groups of hardware and software not being compatible. Funnily enough CDs still make up for the majority of sales being made online. Apart from booming CD sales, the rise of digital technology and the Internet in at first and due to digital unauthorized downloading proven to be more of a challenge than an opportunity to the music industry. EASE OF ENTRY INTO NEW MARKET Entry into the music industry through the Internet is no longer reliant on record deals with major labels rather allows for up and coming musicians upload and distribute their music via other means. English singer Lilly Allen is a perfect example as Allen success was largely due to the fact she was able to release and promote her own record on the social networking page MySpace. It was only when her songs grew their own fan base reaching over tens of thousands online streams she was offered a record contract with Regal Labels. (Wikipedia) Such an examples exemplifies the Internets impact on artists being able to distribute their own records without the support or aid of larger corporations. EASIER ACCESS TO THE PRODUCT A Larger volume of distribution methods allow for an increase in overall competition; which in turn have an overall effect on the cost of products available. Retailers and record companies had far more control over pricing of products when limited to physical products when confined to gaining foot traffic. Now with introduction of online sales methods whether it be ordering the physical copy from Amazon.com or simply purchasing through catalogue like stores such as iTunes price has become a key differentiator on whether uses purchase their music (whether digitized or hard copy) online. DISEMLING OF PRODUCTS With that in mind, the evaluation of how users consume the products have also been called into question. As the Internet has allowed record labels and artists to critically evaluate how consumers utilise their product. Although in 2003 CD sales were at an all time high, the increasing number of Peer-2-peer networks brought down the volume of CDs being sold and had record companies evaluate cost models. The ipod/iTunes effect has been forcing record labels to re-evaluate business models as there has been increasing importance placed on selling singles rather then full albums became a more advantageous for consumers as they could purchase songs are a more cost effective rate that were more valuable to them then purchasing full albums. (http://www.wikinvest.com/concept/IPod_Effect) TECHNOLOGY CONVERGENCE The convergence of products such as digital audio players, have been able to establish themselves independent of other electronic device and replace older listening devices. The main reason for such devices are to provide portability but also ability to replace dedicated products such as walkmans with converged devices such as the mobile phone or PDAs. Such developments of these products are strongly influenced by the Internets growth and uptake of e commerce networks such as iTunes. The overall influence the Internet has had on such an ecommerce transaction places the importance on having the sufficient hardware and software to continue these advances. MALAUABLE The ability to download digitalised versions has several added benefits for customers. The ability to make copies if the hard copy or device becomes defective. While customers are able to customised their libraries and make CDs and play lists according to their tastes rather then have to conform to Record Company choices for a customer. Also the music becomes more valuable to the customer if theyre able to adjust and include the music into their own productions such as multimedia videos or presentations. CHALLENGES OF THE ONLINE MUSIC INDUSTRY The online music distribution has provided one of the greatest platforms for technological developments and also helped in the uptake of e commerce practices in OECD countries. (BIBLIOGRAPHY) PEER 2 PEER NETWORKS AND THE AFFECT ON PIRACY The Internets early success was significantly due to the file sharing capabilities otherwise known as peer-to-peer networks. The innovative technology is becoming increasing important in expanding communication. Such programs that have reaped the benefits of this technology include Skype, on demand video streaming or share proprietary information in the services industry. Although the ability to share large volumes of data easily and quickly is appealing to the vast majority of consumers there is significant concern has about P2P networks and the ability to transfer large volumes of unauthorised content without the consent of the relevant owners. The majority of file sharing software transfers music files but has now expanded beyond that into digital content areas as well. Piracy not only affects copyright owners; essentially impedes business funding legitimate avenues of distribution. The biggest challenge businesses face with piracy is finding ways to control piracy while attempting to develop new revenues streams from digital distribution networks. Music Labels and other content providers have placed significant pressure on governments and ISP providers to help aid in the prevention of the use of illegal distribution of content. Some Film distributors have gone as far as suing Internet providers for their lack of intervention in use of illegal down loading. In the case of Film Companys iiNet sued for allowing piracy. The Australian film and television industry has launched a major case against ISP provider iiNet for allowing infringement of copyright. Although the case is still under way the no known legal action has been started by Music Companies but seems to be the way large corporations are facing if governments do not start intervening. The digital revolution happen significantly quickly while the infrastructure and legislation of rights lagged behind, leaving behind several issues that have yet to be properly addressed. The unauthorised use of file sharing presents a significant challenge to copyright owners; although these programs allow for the music or product to have more mass appeal and spread more conveniently the transference of intellectual property is the equivalent of intellectual theft. The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) a trade group representing the Music Industry charged P2P groups enabling them to effectively steal and share music. Which has essentially have lead to the decline in CD sales. Such lawsuits saw the removal of Napster being available for the public to utilise. The interest of the music industry affects many stakeholders within the value chain, from artists to ISP providers who also seek to derive revenue from online music distribution. LACK OF GOVERNING BODIES TO MONITOR BEHAVIOUR To essentially survive, the market needs to create new business models and allowing for new solutions that adequately addresses the challenges that have been identified above. One such solution has seen increased pressure on government to enforce solutions that dont stifle creativity but are able to maintain the effective copyright protection in the online environment is required. However this will be reflective of individual markets while the problem is seen to place global pressure. LACK OF INTEROPERABILITY One significant challenge for the Internet within the Music industry is with the increase of technology; the array of incompatible audio and DRM formats essentially could lock consumers into specific standards, which therefore could hinder the growth of the music industry i.e. songs purchased within the Apple iTunes Music Store cant not be used on other devices which make this virtually impossible to share music with friends or resell the CDs if the customer tires of the song/product. LOSS OF SOCIAL COMMUNITY CDs and albums have survived on the talk ability factor of the products. Customers often recommend songs to their friends and social networking sites to promote their favourites artists. The inability to share the hard copy of songs through DRM systems prevent the ability to provide friends a copy of the songs as the products downloaded are generally limited towards a number of computers. Having said this, although it breaches on issues of privacy the talk ability function of these products and therefore limit the ability to advertise their product to the core audience group. CONCLUSION The Internet has provided a new platform for distribution for both the physical product but new formats of music as well. The industry as a whole has significant increase and support on its products; key challenges highlighted tend to be on a larger scale where increasing government pressure to reform and fix piracy issues transcends not only just within the music industry but transcends across all aspects of digital content. It is important that ways are found to harness the technological capacity of innovations so that incentives for the creation and distribution of original works are not only maintained but also enhanced.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Blond and Person

__Dyed hair       ___wavy hair    ___frizzy hair       ___straight hair    ___fair hair       ___a fringe hair    ___a parting hair    ___a pigair    ___a pory tail ( ) ___a bun ___streaks hair =high light    ___lank hair    ___greasy hair ___dry hair    ___shiny hair ___dandrufy    ___a wig    ___a toupee ___bald       The person I like to talk about is my friend Dina.She is buitiful girl and kind person. She love her family so much. She has got a long hair his colour is blond. She is white. She has buiteful family. She was study hard in her schoole. She is clever person. Her hopes is reading in history. I’d like to be friend for her. I’d love her to much. How are you? I would like speke on skryep my father. He works in a doctor. He shourt and fat and near a wint. He don’t love jop. He live in a marth Matroh. He don’t live in Mahalla. He don’t love crowed. He love me a lot. He hope seen me doctor. I’d like speak about personality very beautifol. He is called Magdi Yakoup. He helps illnes.He is an old man. He is successful. He makes surgery opparation in heats. He gaves children new life. The personal I will describe is my sister. She is beautiful. She has a long hair. She is blond. She is kind and helpful. She is clever in her work. She is a teacher of English. She like drawing. She is ideal for me. I want to be like her. My father is my ideal. He is tall and thin. He has a strong personality. He is fantestic character. He is a teacher. He like watching TV and he like films. He works hard in his school. I like him so much because he kind and clever. The person who I want to describe is my sister.She is blond. She is short and fit. She is kind and different on my sister the second. She has a baby. Ilove her so much. I see her ber week. She is very busy all the week. She is a nurse. She has a big heart. She likes her husband and all the pe ople. She is a lovely person. I’d like to talk about my father. He is handsome. He has fine black hair and white clear skin. He is smart and always successful in his study. He is working now as a teacher in one primary school. He works hard and all the students love him. His favorite hoppy is playing football. He is too kind and thoughtful. I love him too much.I hope that he can live a long time. I wish him a long life. I’d like to speak about my father. He is a teacher. He works at one secondary school in Mahalla. All the students and his colleagues like and respect him as he is hard worker. He is too kind and thoughtful. I love him too much as he treats me gently. He likes fishing and cooking but my mother don’t like him to make anything in the kitchen. She complains from him as he making the kitchen untidy. However, my mother likes him and his cooking so much. Finally he is a funny and lovely person that everyone like to be a friend for him. I describe my mot her. I love my mother.She is kind woman and good in workhouse. She is a teacher of English. Student love her because she love them and she teach English very well. She is a blond face. She love me and other family. She try to keep me and my brothers a good persons. She is cheerful. She is helpful. She helps other people if someone asked her any helping. Her hobbies is reading and watching t. v. about news. She hopes to me to be a doctor and I will try hard to achieve her dream. I love her and I will name my daughter that name like her. I will describe my mother. She is my friend. I love she so much. She is so kind and friendly. She working in her house.But she didn’t complete her education, but she is very clever. She cook well. She keep the house tidy and order. She like to go with her neighbours to the markets, this is her favourite hobby. At last, she is lovely woman. She likes shopping. I describe my mother. She is tall and fit. She got long black hair. She has eyes green . She is great. She is kind woman. She is clever in the workhouse. She is deals good and nice. She like sport and computer games. All people love her. My mather is paitent. Although her life is hard, she is smiling all the time. My mather is blond. She is help a life. She is personality great. She is beautiful.She is ideal. She is tired for her children. She is teacher. She is like exciting adventure. I like my mother. my mom is my reason to live. She looks after me and my brothers. She is housewife. She is quiet tall. She is kind and helpful. She teach me how to communicate with people. She is blond with green eyes. She is a great woman. She teach me how to depend on myself. She is my ideal. I would like to be like she. She is a friendly with me. She said to me if I want to do any thing tell her about it before I do it to tell me that is write or wrong because she would like to see my and my brother good person and all of people love ours.I thinks God to givemy mother like this. I should does it ‘s best to pleased her because she learned me and looking after me. She likes to stay with me and my brothers. My father is a fantastic person. He works as an engineer. Everyone love him. He is nice, well-dressed and tidy. He is very useful person. He has a big knowledge and very intelligent. He helps me in my life and study as he can. He works for a long hours. He is always busy but although he comes with me to the club on Friday. As a whole , I think he is the most wonderful person I ever know. My father is a great person. He works as a teacher. Everyone respect him.He is open mind. He is very useful person. He have information about everything you can imagine. He always help me in my study. He know a lot about our religion El-Islam. He is preacher in mosque. In general, I think he is the most wonderful man in the world. My brother Ibrahim. He is kind and funny. He is work in a company. He is blond. He is short. He is my friend. He is my mirror. He advise me a nd gives opportunity speak. He likes travel, and trips. He likes life. I would like to describe my uncle. He is very kind man. He is tall man, fit. He like plays tennis. He is look smart. His eyes are black and he works in tanta university.He is professor in this university. I like him that he is kindly, helpful, patient and friendly. I proud because he is my uncle. I loved him. My father is a great man. I admire him most. He is tall and fit. He look likes Ahmed Al-saka. He has a black her, a small lips and a wide eyes. He is an ingineer. He is a hard man in his work but he is helpful. He likes his work so much. His favourite hoppy is playing football and watching t. v. news. Really he is a man with all the word meaning. Ever since I first met my admirable friend Noha on a journey for Alexandria several years ago, she has been my favourite, irreplaceable companion.At first glance you can also see her long, blond hair, as well as slender body which make her look really amazing. She h as a beautiful face with blue eyes, small nose and large beautiful mouth. The most characteristic thing about Noha is her sense of humour. She is sociable and often cheers everybody up in different situations. Moreover, she is ambitious and optimistic. She seems quick-tempered but in reality deep down, she is really an amiable person. In her spare time, she goes either to the mosque or the club with her elder sister. To sum up, Noha really deserves admiration due to her good ualities. She shows people how to be a better person. I hope our friendship will never end. Ahmed is my old brother and my best friend as well. He looks likes Rogdy Abaza. He is handsome, well-built and robust. He has black fair hair, black eyes like coal and light skin. Moreover, He has a good appearance as he is stylish and well-dressed. He is a kind and ambition. He is very religious and his only hoppy is reading Koran. He is a student in Science University. He likes the study of science so much. He studies h ard and hopes to be like Ahmed Zeweil. He always helps me to overcome any problems face me.He keeps my secrets. I really respect and love him. My mother is the most important person in my life. She really deserves to be talked about all the time. She is somewhat short but beautiful and good-looking. She is a teacher in my secondary school. She works hard and all student s love and respect her. She always helps me in my study. She want me to be a doctor. She gives me advices to be the best girl in the world. She is intelligent, clever and open mind and funny that my father feels that she is his heart. She is kind . She helps the poor people. Really I like her so much and can’t live without her.I’d like to tell you about my mother. This is a person who admire it most. She is quite tall. She has long hair. She is a teacher. She is very beautiful. She is generous and kind woman. She helps other people. She is cheerful. I like it very much. Now, She is very ill, I hope her a speed recovery. She works in El-Mahalla Secondary school. She goes everyday except Friday. On Friday, we go to our farm. It is very big. We go there and have lunch. After that we play together. Finally , I ‘d like to be like she. My mother’s sister or my aunt is the person who I want to talk about most.She suffered a lot, but never asked for help as she think that asking for help is symbol of weakness. She always have a smiled face. My aunt lives in Abu-Ali in Gharbia. She is my idol. She has good characteristics. She is impetuous, kind, clever, generous, She always wears awide black dress with a black veil. She is religious too. She always tell us religious stories. Finally I can said that she is a pretty woman. I will describe my grandma. She has the perfect words that I need for my progress. She has a beautiful smile. Some people says I look like her when she was teenager. I think it is true and I am happy for that.My grandma has many talents. She can cook very fas t. She is good storyteller. I admire her because she is very intelligent, and she had many goals in her life. My mother goes to her work and leave me and my brother and sister with her. She takes care of us because she loves us like I and my brother and sister love her. She was an Arabic teacher but now retired. So I wanted to be a teacher like her, with small difference, I’m English Teacher. She was working hard every day and untile now she likes to learn something new every day. She always can advise me, when I am making a decision. I think it is the best person on Earth.