Tuesday, January 28, 2020

MyAlert Essay Example for Free

MyAlert Essay Come 1999, the international mobile data services market was ever so expanding and changing rapidly. Jorge Mata was able to hop on the bandwagon early enough to profit from this business venture as this industry was just at the beginning of a new era that would revolutionize how consumers and businesses communicated with each other. More simply stated, MyAlert was a great business idea, developing a more personalized mobile industry. Mata could not actually believe that such a business model had never been thought of in the past, but did not have to think twice before investing in the MyAlert project, becoming the first company to appear and succeed in the mobile services market in Spain. Flash forwarding to a year after its creation, figures are only representative of the huge success MyAlert was facing in terms of the service and content the company offered its customers. Figures were in the black, and more than 200.000 users were registered to the ‘Alert portal’ without even any substantial advertising expense. Another indicator of a good business idea is whether the creator of the company is able to find any potential investors ready to sponsor his project. In this case, Mata is the first to find enough capital (half a million euros) to launch his project. His ex-CEO at BroadVision also wanted to invest in the project, showing us just how serious and well thought of this business plan actually was. Although the initial funds were clearly insufficient to bring MyAlert at the top of the ladder both domestically and internationally, Mata’s strategy is clear-cut in the sense that the first priority was developing a project with â€Å"a top-tier management and technical team and a sound technological platform to make alerts work at the targeted scale† (p. 2). The company could effectively y use its technological platform to provide a personalized service, that at the time, was crucially needed by customers and companies who wished to stay at the top of the information chain. This was the booming time in terms of new technologies and how they could be adapted to the internet and the mobile phone. MyAlert’s business idea was once again great because it could actually provide this ever so needed information to its end users. By valuing the customer and focusing on what the market needed and will need in the future, MyAlert is a perfect example of how they were able to carry out the latter and grasp a changing environment before it was too late. The main competitive advantages that MyAlert benefit from are seen through their timing and their strong technological platform. In effect, the company benefits from a first mover advantage into the mobile data service industry. With this advantage under their belt, it is essential in for MyAlert to develop an on-going demand for their service. The customer base is large and potentially profitable and the company understood this. As I stated previously, instead of focusing itself on the product/service they deliver to the customer, MyAlert’s strategy is to focus on what the customer really wants from the company. The emotional factors that the customers face are very important because they act as an experience on each individual when they decide to sign up for daily alerts on football, or stock quotes for example. My Alert knows that by focusing on the customer base, by offering them a service that is affordable and useful, positive recommendations will then follow placing them at an advantage vis-à  -vis their competitors. While focusing on the demand aspects are vital, it is also crucial for the company to concentrate on the supply scale for the competitive advantage to be sustainable. Basic services such as alerts on business headlines are interesting but MyAlert’s main wish is to expand their supply with a â€Å"†¦ number of services thanks to agreements with other content and service providers† (p. 2). By growing a significant supply scale, a broader demand from not only individual end-users will arise, but also from sources like corporations and large advertising companies. With all the information above, a value chain of MyAlert’s business model is shown through this diagram: A perfect example of this model at work is when MyAlert enters the European major markets. While replicating the entry strategy that had already worked in Spain, the company broadens its supply scale by offering free advertising services to international companies and then pursuing on to develop tight relationships with these companies so that they can offer them business services. This is a clear example of how the company intentionally expands its supply scale to attain an even larger demand (customer) base. After the dotcom bubble crisis, companies focused on new technologies such as MyAlert, take the hardest hit. Their competitive advantage based on a strong  technology is now under threat and the company has to reevaluate its strategy. I believe the merge with Buongiorno is not only positive for both companies, but a must if MyAlert wishes to stay competitive in the long run. Mauro del Rio basically says it all in his statement as he declares that the â€Å"†¦ two absolute imperatives for ambitious European high tech companies [are]: critical mass and positive PL† (p.4). MyAlert could no longer expand through organic growth and so this merger is a fantastic idea in terms of bringing new qualified staff, technology assets and know-how. On the flip side, the position the two companies now hold as a whole, allows them to penetrate new markets and develop synergies. The two companies complemented each other very well in terms of My Alert bringing a strong technological platform to the table and powerful ASP services versus Buongiorno being more present in terms of marketing and advertising services. The strengths of one, replaced the weaknesses of the other. A good example of how the two companies complemented themselves really well is by analyzing the services they sold through various business models. In terms of business services, Buongiorno would lead the way offering companies other marketing services such as brand building and customer loyalty. The product range allowed a higher diversification and greatly benefited the company. The above would not have been possible to realize if MyAlert wouldn’t have merged with Buongiorno because of a poorer marketing penetration. When it came to consumer services however, MyAlert would lead the way by actively investing and developing new apps carefully adapted to their customer base thanks to t heir strong technology. Consumer services were the new hit at the beginning of the years 2000’s and Buongiorno! MyAlert was able to establish itself as a clear industry leader. At first, intensively focusing on consumer services was not a clear target for the newly merged companies. The SMS market was in full evolution but many competitors were focusing on the benefits of developing WAP. The portal worked similarly to the WWW navigation, except it was adapted to cell phones. The main point here is that MyAlert had the necessary technology to develop this project and become a global leader but the management team made a wise decision when they decided to focus more on what the consumer actually wanted. WAP-enabled phones had huge potential, increasing to 23% in  2000, but the alarming factor was that only 3% of those users were actually using the new mobile portal. In effect, the company realized that they were found in a value added service market and that their business would mainly depend on what share they could capture from mobile operators when end-users download a song or a logo via SMS, and which marketing budget their customers could channel throu gh them. More simply stated, the company shifted its competitive advantage from a strong technological base to a market driven, consumer targeted base. This business model change allowed the company to develop its own kind of virtual network, linking them to diverse mobile operators’ message centers. As Nomura correctly states, the company could now benefit from its new position and operate its new value chain by having higher punctuality and lower messaging costs. This diversified network the company had built with all the operators, and the flexible strategy they had put into place to be able to adapt to a changing environment, gave them a â€Å"competitive advantage and barrier to entry for any competitors trying† (p.15) to penetrate the market. The evolvement of the business model was a crucial point for the company as they correctly analyzed the market and customer appreciation instead of focusing on a strong service (WAP) that they could’ve developed. If they had chosen this route, maybe things would’ve not been as smooth and successful for them. In this case though, the company was showing positive results and was in a continued search for new businesses and markets to enter while diversifying both in terms of their products and services. This model can only be sustainable, because as Darwin says it best â€Å"if a being wants to survive in a shifting environment, it must evolve at least as fast as the medium itself.† BuonGiorno!MyAlert is perfectly equipped to do so.

Monday, January 20, 2020

A Comparison of Wuthering Heights and Heart of Darkness Essay example -

A Comparison of Wuthering Heights and Heart of Darkness    Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights and Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness are two similar stories in the effect that they both have dual narrators and that the narrators of both are manipulated to tell stories of similar morals.   They differ, however, in the narrative frames, points of view, and some personality traits of the narrators.    The dual narrator arrangement of Wuthering Heights begins with Mr. Lockwood, the naive new tenant of Thrushcross Grange.   He seems to be quite the social person and goes to visit Heathcliff who is not so social and actually seems downright inhospitable.   Due to weather conditions at the time (which Lockwood was not wise to go out in) Lockwood becomes stranded at Wuthering Heights where he feels quite unwelcome.   While spending the night at Wuthering Heights, the curious Lockwood snoops through some books where he find things inscribed by Catherine.   He hears the voice of Catherine calling, and calls for help.   Heathcliff then runs after the girl who is not in fact a girl, but Catherine's ghost.   Heathcliff embraces this ghost and dies with her in his arms.   That pretty much sums up the narrative present and Lockwood's role as narrator.   Out of curiosity (Lockwood's most important personality trait), he asks Nelly Dean questions about Heathcliff and the girl.   At this point Nelly takes over the role of narrator and we shift into the narrative past. Nelly Dean is quite knowledgeable about Wuthering Heights and the events that transpired there; however, she is blunt and opinionated.   She does not fail to mention that he has taken a genuine interest in Heathcliff sinc... ...ts we learn about Heathcliff's character in the beginning of the story.   In Heart of Darkness we do not find out about Kurtz until the end.   In both stories, we depend greatly on the narrators to illustrate the significance of theirs lives.   While Nelly was opinionated, she was still able to illustrate the moral of the story as well as the more objective narrator, Marlow.   Heathcliff took possession of both the Grange and the Heights, but lost his true love, and Kurtz had fame, jewels, ivory and the gorgeous amazon woman, but not the love of his Intended.   The most important similarity, however, was held in common not only by the narrators but by the reader as well.   Without curiosity the story of Wuthering Heights would not have begun, Heart of Darkness would not have continued, and the reader would not have held interest in either one.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Article on Discipline Essay

Discipline is not only necessary but also vital for any civilized society, as a matter of fact, discipline and Nature are synonymous with each other and whenever anything happens, which defies or interrupts the usual in Nature, it becomes a calamity, and similarly life without discipline can become chaotic. The term ‘discipline’ means any training intended to develop moral character or produce a particular pattern of behavior accepted by afferent institutions and society. Discipline is a way of life. It is vital in happing one’s personality. According to one school of thought, there are here forms of discipline i.e. expressionistic, impressionistic and self- discipline. If-discipline is usually considered to be the best form of discipline here in the term ‘discipline’ instead of standing as a rigid code of conduct obi strictly adhered to, denotes a process of normal growth and learning, of ways to monitor oneself. Self discipline is directly related t o the concept of freedom and motivation. If a child is motivated and given the freedom to choose, discipline becomes a natural way of life. In modern times, discipline is misunderstood and misinterpreted by some students as rigid and fixed set of rules enforced by others and to be followed without any questions being asked. They feel it is encroachment of their freedom and rights. Discipline is not a term which is limited to institutions like schools and colleges only. Neither is it a weapon or tool in the hands of adults to control the younger generation or in other words seeking unquestionable compliance. Discipline is neither suppression nor a means to assert one’s authority rather it is intrinsic motivation in a person to control oneself, one’s emotion, and desires and live in a uniform and orderly manner. That everything in this universe has to follow certain rules, the Sun rises in the East’ and sets in the West, come what may, the cycle of seasons also follows a pattern, Night follows, dusk which follows day and dawn, thus, we humans are also governed by rules and following the same is another term for discipline. In schools, discipline can be exercised through the medium of morning assembly, time table, uniform, break, activities, various competitions and talk shows. An example of discipline is also the happening of activities in t he school premises in a particular order, right from promptness in reaching the school, wearing the prescribed uniform, abiding with the school rules, attending classes etc.  etc. When one learns to conform to a particular set of rules he understands the importance and need to follow a particular pattern in life and how veering away from them can make life difficult and confusing, All successful people understand the importance of discipline in their lives and enjoy the fruits of success. An undisciplined person is prone to temptations and can easily fall prey to a lifestyle which could lead to his failure and doom. Discipline, thus! is inevitable as it gives direction to live life in a harmonious, and orderly way.

Saturday, January 4, 2020

The Importance Of Teamwork, Social Responsibility And...

This essay looks at workplace citizenship and its essential components and critically argues the importance of teamwork, social responsibility and communication as important core values and skills to the NGO sector. Today the highly competitive and global marketplace is moving towards high performance, effective organizations that generate high degrees of employee job satisfaction. As a result a substantial amount of research and study has been conducted to determine the various factors that may contribute to an organisations overall performance and effectiveness. A key area of study has been in the area of organisational citizenship and its resultant behaviours, which initially grew out of Dennis Organ’s musings into understanding the apparent non-relationship between job satisfaction and job performance (Organ, 1988). Over the last 30 years researchers have been studying organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) to determine the antecedents and motives to organisational citizenship, as there is considerable evidence that workplace citizenship, or organisational citizenship, when aggregated over time and people, makes a significant contribution to organizational effectiveness (Podaskoff, et al. 2000). According to Nemeth and Staw (1989), organizational citizenship can improve an organisations performance and gain it the competitive edge needed to not only be a market leader but also retain key personnel that are motivated to perform beyond their actual job requirements.Show MoreRelatedThe Importance Of Social Responsibility, Communication, And Teamwork1587 Words   |  7 PagesThis essay will discuss the importance of social responsibility, communication, and teamwork in the workplace in particular as a nurse in the healthcare setting of general practice. By giving care to be proud of and being open, honest and approachable as well as working together as part of a team for the same outcome will benefit the patients. As a nurse in general practice the role includes a lot of involvement in the community. You become the face of the clinic and if you live in the same areaRead MoreThe Advantages of Teamwork at the Workplace1051 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Teamwork in the workplace has never seemed as important as it currently stands. Much of the cross-training that takes place in the workplace is due to the extended importance that has been placed on developing teams comprised of members who can handle a variety of tasks and are able to transition throughout the company at a moments notice. There are important components that a team must have in order to be the efficient and effective force that most managers desire of them. Effective teams areRead MoreEvaluate the Advantages and Disadvantages of Globalization for Business1101 Words   |  5 PagesEssay Title: How can effective teamwork in organisations make business more profitable? Nowadays, most of the organizations try to develop some kind of teamwork in their businesses. Teamwork originated in workplaces, since people began to operate collectively through organisations. Over the years various rules, ideas, practices and theories that constitute the evolution of teamwork and management have developed. Teamwork can be considered one of the oldest human activities. The ancient ChineseRead MoreThe Importance Of Team And A Team Leader As Well As The Team Behaviours Necessary For Effective Team Performance1402 Words   |  6 Pagesprofessionals must work together in order to achieve their goals and promote patient safety. This assignment aims to explore the importance of team work in healthcare. In addition it will consider the qualities and behaviours of a team leader as well as the team behaviours necessary for effective team performance. In order to fully explore the nature of team work in healthcare it is importance to first look at what defines a team.A team can be defined as two or more people with specific roles working togetherRead MoreQuality And Safety Education For Nurses1142 Words   |  5 PagesQuality and Safety Education for Nurses Teamwork and collaboration are capable to effectively function within professional teams, remaining respectful, mutual decision-making, and developing open communication to attain the optimal quality of care for patients. To create a collaborative atmosphere, several characteristics must be involved; knowledge, skills, and attitude. Knowledge is a way to describe an individual’s strengths, weaknesses, and principles to collaborate within a group of workersRead MoreSelf Awareness Log No. 21185 Words   |  5 Pagessupervisors at DFCS has led to a more in-depth compassion for clients and their families, while acquiring the necessary skills to function as a social worker in today’s society. The best thing that happened at my site was being able to assist the Regional Director (RD), Anita Twiner-Watkins. She was constructing an organizational chart of all of her Area Social Work Supervisors (ASWS) and FPSs. I collaborated with the RD and created an organizational chart, which she forwarded to her superiors in JacksonRead MoreThe Importance Of Effective Communication Patterns For A Healthy Work Environment1466 Words   |  6 Pagesof interaction emerged from the research articles reviewed. These include the importance of open communication, self-organization, teamwork and relationship connectivity. Examining the organization to understand the organizational flow and above mentioned dynamic interactions is an essential step that is often missed by leadership in a chaotic, complex health care environment. The importance of effective communication patterns for a healthy work environment and for quality care outcomes was notedRead MoreThe Role Of Inter Professional Teamwork On Caring For Patients938 Words   |  4 Pagestoward effective cares with lower costs possible. The solution emphasize the responsibilities of professionals to work together and share leadership, and to study the population to provide each patient with a quality low cost health care. This model stress three themes: The importance of inter-professional teamwork in caring for patients, the rise of patient-centered education within the healthcare system, and social responsibility of health professionals in the context of health disparities. To give theRead Moreâ€Å"Organizational And System Failures Or Lack Of Systems929 Words   |  4 PagesNurses the importance of â€Å"handoffs†, or report, between nurses and other team members is discussed. This journal also goes into detail regarding the causes of ineffective reporting and the consequences that it may produce. In the medical- surgical unit of the hospital, the lack of information exchange may lead to a number of safety risks for patients. (Friesen, White, Byers, 2008) In a hospital setting a multidisciplinary team provides care for patients. This team includes physicians, social workersRead MoreA Research Study On Management1710 Words   |  7 Pagespaper we ve completed thus far. Overall, BUS 250 has demonstrated the importance of teamwork, leadership, organization/planning, personality traits, social responsibility, decision making, ethics, along with various other key concepts I will share with you. To begin with, as one could imagine, teamwork plays an especially important role in management, so it really laid an impression on me when we attacked the idea in class. Teamwork is the way employees and managers interact with one another to achieve