Apple, IT and. The Specter of Sweatshop Labor Essay Example for Free

Apple, IT and. The Specter of Sweatshop Labor Essay Apple INC               Apple Company has been in business for more than 40 years designing, manufacturing and market mobile communication and media devices and portable digital music players (Hitchcock, 2011). Apple markets a number of software and a number of networking solutions. Apple is the definition of new and advanced technology. They deal with a range products from music player; IPad, mobile devices; IPhone computers; Mac, television and business and personal software. Their products are distinctive and mostly preferred by an enormous number of customers. Their market base extends globally. Apple products are unique and are identified with their brand name and a picture of an apple fruit. Apple offers support for their products that operate on their internally designed software. Their products are well equipped with modern technology and designed to meet clients’ expectations and needs.               In the modern world, technology dictates our day to day lives. A few decades ago, mobile phones were owned by specific few and mostly used for business. Today mobile phones are used for both personal and business activities. Phones are a sense of direction, communication and a friend to humanity. Apple products have a distinctive nature and a stratified class not owned by many.               IPhone, a product of Apple, is a phone preferred by many abroad and locally. The nature of the phone is designed to operate and meets people daily needs. iPhone is beautifully made mobile device that combines a number of functions. iPhone functions as a communication platform, a digital music player and for internet communication. iPhone features range from communication platform, the internet net work platform, and entertainment. iPhone has a multi-touch user interface, web browsing, PC based email platform and is integrated with other window based computers. iPhone serves as an entertainment platform, integrated with iTunes libraries where one can download music, video clips, software and other application. The phone has different versions with various and advanced technology ranging from iPhone 1 to the recent Apple design iPhone 5 the latest version of iPhone. Apple offers support when it comes to iPhone with their online accessories compatible with thepho ne. The phone is a remarkable piece and appealing to the eye.               Another distinctive product of Apple is the iPad. IPad is a product characterized by entertainment and internet communication. Some of the features of iPad include; music player, a platform for downloading music, video clips and software, web browsing and an email platform. Just like iPhone, iPad is also compatible with window based computers and also Mac range of computers; products of Apple. Ipad has touch user interface and ability to download music, photos, and video clips. Ipad enables people to connect with their applications in more friendly way. The device is both used for running personal errands and business activities. The friendliness of the device enables people of all age ease in using the device. Children prefer ipad since its compatibility with different variety of games, online and offline. Ipad has different versions with their latest fourth-generation iPad mini.                Apple products have distinctive nature of the ‘I’ before their products is their original trademark and other features not found in many related technological devices, a beautiful structure friendly to humanity with their portability feature and remarkable service constituted with support system by the Company.                  The two key external factors affecting Apple Company are increasing completion from companies offering mobile, computer, tablets and television devices and international legal disputes. For many years, Apple has been the leading innovator when it comes to technological devices followed closely with their leading competitors. Microsoft has been the leading competitor of Apple for many years and set up their devices accordingly. Microsoft, the designers of widows based platforms, are the biggest rivals Apple when it comes to computers and tablets applications. Microsoft latest design of Windows 8 is increasingly threatening Apple domination of tablets application. Windows 8 comes with a designed app store a feature which was only evident in Apple line of tablets. This real completion for Apple and might turn out to be a catastrophe for Apple company. Widows’ app store offer varieties that are bad for business for Apple INC.                  Windows phones were also a big competition for Apple Company but recently Google has set up and surpassed widows. Google Android operating systems and Android line of phones are now the main competitors for Apple iPhone and operating systems. The market base for Android products is threatening Apple market base for iPhones and operating systems. Google recent development, of purchasing Motorola, is a big problem for Apple because of Google huge manufacturer of mobile devices. Another development of Google threatening Apple is their new design of home theater systems of Televisions partnering with Sony and Samsung Companies.               The second critical external factor affecting Apple Company is continued international legal disputes around the world. Apple being the leading innovators for their line of products makes them be the hunted and not the hunters. One of their going international legal disputes is the ongoing co-wireless licensing patent lawsuit. Co-wireless licensing patent an ally of Microsoft is suing Apple for wireless patents. If the lawsuit were to go through, this would be a huge blow for Apple since most of their products operate on a wireless network.                Apple is also facing another international legal dispute following claims that Apple purchased iPad trademark illegally. With their distinctive feature of their products starting with an ‘i’, this lawsuit could turn out to be a catastrophe for the company disrupting the flow of Apple tablet market share. These legal disputes are bad for business for the Apple Company and if they were to go through it could mark the end of the leading innovators Apple INC.                  Stakeholders in an organization include customers, employees, the entire community, suppliers and the business partners. Customers and the community are the key stakeholders in the success of an organization. Satisfied customers and the whole community lead to real business. Primary stakeholders affect an organization mostly financially. Primary stakeholders include shareholders, employees, and suppliers.                Primary stakeholders contribute to an organization’s environmental risks that impact negatively on financial performance of an organization. For example, the lawsuit affecting Apple INC, are environmental risks facing the company as a result of the Company’s management decisions and employees contributions.                Managing risks are also caused by executives of the company whole and poorly having in my mind that stakeholders are on their side contributing to financial problems. Management of an organization are the building blocks of a company and how they operate or run business affect the firm directly and reflect on the finances of the Company. Apple Company operates under a strict management and a no-nonsense leader.                  Inadequate participation of employees may contribute to poor financial performances. Pressure from the employees is evident on how a firm performs (Henriques and Sadorsky, 2007). Steve Jobs exact pressure on his employees and many consider him a tough leader; as Apple continues to record profits in their financial reports.                Another factor that affects financial performance of an organization is the structure and working of an organization. Apples leadership under Steve Jobs who was very strict when it comes to the Company’s performance and does not take any incompetence from the employees lightly. Apple Company has a well-structured supply chain management that coordinates its suppliers, the operations of the organization and the customers. This coordination by Apple and its business partners ensures smooth operations in the Company eliminating possibility of registering loses.                Labor practices are a controversial corporate social responsibility concern associated with Apple. Apple has been accused of overworking its’ employees following recent speculations from two supplier shops in China known as Foxconn and Inventec. Media recorded that; workers in these Companies are forced to work long hours and are underpaid. In addition, they are forced to live on the premises of these Companies where they have to pay rent and other expenses from the little they earn from the Company. This has raised debates over Chinese labor regulations and whether it is entirely Apple’s fault of Foxconn fault. Apple continues to defend their reputation by claims that they uphold acceptable working standards (Ericka, 2008). References Morphy, Ericka (January 31, 2008), â€Å"Apple, IT and. The Specter of Sweatshop Labor,† Mac New World Christina Hitchcock, (Oct,11,2011). â€Å"Apple, Inc. Mission Statement, Business Description, and (n.d.).† Retrieved from http://christinaahitchcock.com/?p=102Brayden King (Mar, 4, 2013).â€Å"Managing the Reputational and Market Risks of Social Activism† Retrieved from http://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/managing_the_reputational_and_market_risks_of_social_activism/Peter, muller. (Apr 8, 2012). â€Å"External Factors. affecting AppleInc† Retrieved fromwww.youtube.com/watch?v=2sOdHonN8jQ Source document

Importance of Friar Laurence in Romeo and Juliet Essay example -- Shake

Friar Laurence plays an important part in the narrative development of Romeo and Juliet. He is naà ¯ve and detached from society so doesn’t fully appreciate the bitterness of the feud between the Montagues and Capulets. The well intentioned advice that he gives to Romeo and Juliet is thus misguided and this develops a sense of foreboding. The advice that Friar Laurence gives sets the young lovers on a path which the audience senses will end in tragedy. With regard to his character, Friar Laurence is a contemplative and moral man yet he lacks real insight in human nature i.e. their passions and motivations. When we first meet Friar Laurence, he compares plants to human nature concluding that â€Å"Virtue itself turns vice being misapplied And vice sometime by action dignified† From our first meeting with Friar Laurence the audience sees how naive he is to believe so simply in the goodness of man. It is partly this characteristic that causes his schemes to end tragically. Friar Laurence is a man of self control who believes that â€Å"violent delights have violent ends.† In other words, people should be measured and not let passion overrule their good judgement. This is almost a premonition of what happens later on in the play when Romeo and Juliet’s short but passionate love ends in death. Shakespeare portrays the Friar as a prudent and modest man of God. Friar Laurence is trustworthy; we know this because both Juliet and Romeo trust him enough to confide their love for one another to him. They also seek his advice to find a way to be together. This trust is also based on Friar Laurence’s reputation as a highly respected member of Verona’s society, â€Å"the whole city is much bound to him.† Romeo refers to Friar Laurence as hi... ...eveal their innermost feelings to the audience. Shakespeare uses Friar Laurence as a device to achieve this. Friar Laurence also acts as the messenger in the play. In Shakespearean times, Romeo and Juliet would have been performed in theatres like The Globe. There would be a lot of noise and distraction for the audience and it was likely that they would miss out on important parts of the play. The actor playing Friar Laurence up dates the audience regularly. An example of this is when he gives the audience a synopsis of the story right at the end of the play â€Å"Is not so long as is a tedious tale. . .† This is helpful for the audience because it allows them to catch up with important parts that they might have missed. As the audience sees Friar Laurence’s plans fail one by one, a sense of foreboding develops which prepares the audience for the unfolding tragedy

Checking the purity of water by boiling Essay

Therefore it is noticed that the samples of water we took are not pure but not too impure. The water obtained from the cooler (blue star) is the purest of them all with a boiling of 101Â °C which is very close to the boiling point of pure water which is 99.98Â °C. Therefore it is safe to consume this water. The other types of water are not consumed therefore it does not have an adverse effect on human lifestyle; the experiment was carried out only for comparison basis. It can be argued that the water used for washing the utensils is not pure so if people eat food via that utensil, germs could enter their system. But as a safety measure our school canteen uses a disinfectant known as Surf Excel as obtained from the survey conducted by our ESS group. Hence further purification of the tap water is not really required. It can also be inferred from the readings above that after boiling the water it becomes more pure, but the boiling point of the water obtained from the cooler does not change because boiling it is too small a method to make it purer since it is already very pure. Different methods need to be taken up to make it purer which will include the addition of chemicals which is not too good for the humans anyway. The reason the tap water is already so pure is because the water is obtained from a tank fitted on the top of the school which uses purification methods such as a sand filter (to remove the dust particles) and UV lights to kill the germs as stated in the ESS survey. Initially we conducted the experiment on the water used to keep the food warm is because it is known that if water is impure then it takes more time to heat it up hence the energy required to heat it up is also higher. So it was thought that if the water is made purer then the amount of energy required in heating the water would have been lesser and so energy would be conserved. After the experiment it was noticed that the difference in the boiling point between this water and pure water was too less (4Â °C) and that making the water pure would not have as significant an effect in conserving energy. Therefore the water section of the canteen does not cause any harm to the students as shown by this experiment and the survey conducted, hence it is not required to make changes in this sector. In theory if we were to apply this experiment on a large scale for the entire school, we would put large, more powerful solar panels on the roof of the building to boil the water. The experiment was conducted on a smaller scale. We managed to heat water through a solar panel. The concept thus applies when heating water on a large scale. We would use the solar panels to boil the water. This is a way of using a renewable resource, making Ecole Mondiale World School one step closer to becoming a ‘Green School’.

4 Reasons You Should Take the SAT

As graduation nears, tons of high school students are asking themselves this question: Why should I take the SAT? Many colleges and universities out there dont require the SAT, and theyd rather get into a university that doesnt force them to take even more standardized tests. Thats a great question, and there are some very good reasons for you to just take the SAT, even if you dont want to. Read below to see the benefits you can get from making the choice to sit for the exam. The Universally Accepted Test If youre going to college, you kind of have to take a college entrance exam like the SAT if youre attending a school that requires one (some do not). All major universities in the United States accept the SAT as a college entrance exam; most accept the ACT. Scholarships Scholarships, kids! Yes. Money often follows an impressive SAT score. Check into your college of choices SAT scholarship requirements. Many schools dole out huge bucks for great SAT scores. For instance, St. Louis university has awarded $15,000 merit scholarships for a 1210 on the combined Reading and Math scores. Villanova has given more than $10,000 for a 1310. Your school doesnt offer cash for your score? No worries.  Even if your college or university doesnt offer scholarships for your SAT score, many community organizations and foundations do. Trust me, youll appreciate not having to pay back school loans when youre all grown up if you can get much of your tuition covered with a test, so get out there and  practice for the SAT  until your fingers bleed. Balance a Low GPA So maybe you hated your World History teacher, flunked the class to spite her, and ruined that 4.0. That doesn’t mean you dont have the brain skills to survive college. Scoring high on the SAT can show off your smarts to the college admissions team when your GPA doesn’t. And yes, although admissions committees take a look at you as a whole person, not just at your SAT score, it  is  one of the pieces that makes up the picture of you. You want it to be good.   Your Scores Follow You Around I’m not kidding. When you apply for your first entry-level job, your SAT scores (if theyre good enough) are going to be on your resume, because truthfully, your pizza delivery gig can’t showcase your reasoning ability like a 90th percentile on the SAT can. You wont have a lot of job experience right off the bat. Take the SAT to prove to your first future employer that you have the smarts to be successful at your job, even if intelligence is NOT really one of the things the SAT predicts or measures.   Here are the Top SAT Registration Questions to get you started on your SAT journey. Good luck!