Wednesday, November 27, 2019
AP Statistics Scores - Learn What You Need for College
AP Statistics Scores - Learn What You Need for College Statistics is a popular Advanced Placement course with over 200,000 students taking the exam annually. Students who have other options and interests, however, should be aware that AP Statistics is accepted for course credit and placement by fewer colleges than many other AP subjects.à About the AP Statistics Course and Exam The Advanced Placement Statistics course is a non-calculus-based course that is the equivalent of many one-semester, introductory college statistics classes. The exam coversà exploring data, sampling and experimentation, anticipating patterns, and statistical inference. Each of these topics encompasses several subtopics: Exploring Data. Students learn to analyze different types of graphs and data displays. Key topics include spread, outliers, median, mean, standard deviation, quartiles, percentages, and more. Students also learn to compare different data sets to find patterns and draw conclusions. This section encompasses 20 to 30 percent of the exam questions.Sampling and Experimentation. Students learn about proper and effective methods of data collection and data analysis. Students learn about the characteristics of well-conducted surveys, and they learn about the issues attached to different types of populations and selection methods. Important topics include random sampling, control groups, placebo effect, and replication. This section accounts for 10 to 15 percent of the exam.Anticipating Patterns. This section focuses on probabilities and simulation, and students learn what data should look like for a given model. Topics covered include the addition rule, multiplication rule, conditional proba bility, normal distribution, random variables, t-distribution, and chi-square distribution. 20 to 30 percent of the AP exam covers these topics. Statistical Inference. In this section, students learn how to select appropriate models for a given task. Students study how to estimate population parameters and test hypotheses. Important topics include margins of error, confidence levels, p-values, types of errors, and more. This is the largest area of course content and accounts for 30 to 40 percent of the exam. AP Statistics Score Information In 2018,à 222,501 students took the exam. The mean score was a 2.88, and roughly 60.7 percentà of students (135,008 of them) scored a 3 or higher. According to AP score guidelines, a 3 is necessary to demonstrate a level of competency adequate for earning college credit. The distribution of scores for the AP Statistics exam is as follows: AP Statistics Score Percentiles (2018 Data) Score Number of Students Percentage of Students 5 32,417 14.6 4 47,108 21.2 3 55,483 24.9 2 35,407 15.9 1 52,086 23.4 If your exam score is on the lower end of the scale, keep in mind that colleges often do not require you to report AP exam scores. They are typically self-reported and can be omitted if you choose. AP Statistics Course Placement Information: As the table below reveals, AP Statistics is not accepted by many colleges. There are a few reasons for this: the course is non-calculus-based, but many college statistics courses require calculus; many colleges teach statistics in field-specific ways in courses such as Business Statistics and Psychological Statistics and Methods; finally, statistics is a topic that relies heavily upon computers and spreadsheet programs, but the AP exam is not set up to allow students to use computers.à The table below presents some representative data from a variety of colleges and universities. This information is meant to provide a general overview of the scoring and placement practices related to the AP Statistics exam. For a specific college or university, youll need to search the schools website or contact the appropriate Registrars office to get AP placement information. Even for the schools I list below, check with the institution to get the most recent placement guidelines.à AP Statistics Scores and Placement College Score Needed Placement Credit Georgia Tech - no credit or placement Grinnell College 4 or 5 4 semester credits; MAT/SST 115 MIT - no credit or placement Notre Dame 5 Mathematics 10140 (3 credits) Reed College 4 or 5 1 credit Stanford University - no credit or placement for AP Statistics Truman State University 3, 4 or 5 STAT 190 Basic Statistics (3 credits) UCLA (School of Letters and Science) 3, 4 or 5 4 credits; quantitative reasoning requirement fulfilled Yale University - no credits or placement A Final Word About AP Statistics You can learn more about the AP Statistics course and exam on theà official College Board website. Keep in mind that AP Statistics has value even if you dont receive college credit for the course. At some point in your college career, you are likely going to need to conduct a survey, work with spreadsheets, and/or process data. Have some knowledge of statistics will be invaluable at these times. Also, when you apply to colleges, the most important part of your application will be your academic record. Colleges want to see that you have done well in challenging courses. Success in Advanced Placement courses such as AP Statistics is one significant way you can demonstrate your college readiness.
Saturday, November 23, 2019
Using the Spanish Verb Tomar
Using the Spanish Verb Tomar To say that the Spanish verb tomar means to take isnt doing the word justice. Although it can usually be translated that way, it actually has a wide variety of meanings and is used in all sorts of expressions. Thus, like with some other common verbs, you need to pay attention to context when translating tomar. It generally isnt all that difficult figuring out what the verb means, as long as you realize that it usually conveys the idea of taking something or taking something in. What is a bit more difficult is knowing when to use it when speaking Spanish; it isnt always appropriate to use tomar when you mean to take. One quality of tomar, however, is helpful: It is one of the most common verbs that is conjugated regularly. Meanings of Tomar Here are some of common meanings of tomar with sample sentences. Note that meanings often overlap. If you choose something to eat, for example, you might translate tomar as either to choose or to eat, depending on which sounds more natural in the context. To Take Physical Possession Tomà ³ el libro y volvià ³ a su habitacià ³n. (He took the book and returned home.)Toma mi mano y camina conmigo. (Take my hand and walk with me.)Los campesinos tomaron como rehà ©n al gerente. (The farmworkers seized the manager as hostage.) To Choose Habà a muchas. Tomà © el azul. (There were many of them. I picked the blue one.)Mi filosofà a es tomar lo difà cil como un reto. (My philosophy is to choose what is difficult as a challenge.) To Eat or Drink Tomo cafà © como parte del desayuno en mi programa de dieta. (I drink coffee as part of breakfast for my diet)El segundo dà a tomaron una sopa de pollo. (The second day they had chicken soup.) To Use a Form of Transportation Tomemos un taxi. (Lets take a taxi.)Cuando tomo el metro tardo hasta 45 minutos. (When I use the subway Im as much as 45 minutes late.)No quiero tomar el autopista. (I dont want to go on the freeway.) To Take Medicine Recomendamos que tome ambas pà ldoras a la vez. (We recommend that you take both pills at the same time.)Es necesario que tomes medicina para combatir la infeccià ³n. (It is necessary that you take medicine to fight the infection.) To Interpret Something a Certain Way Me tomaron por loco. (They thought I was crazy. They took me for a crazy man.)La mayorà a de crà ticos se lo tomaron a broma. (Most of the critics took it as a joke.)Le tomaron por espà a. (They thought he was a spy.) To Adopt a Course of Action Para demostrar que el cambio era efectivo, se tomaron medidas muy drsticas. (In order to demonstrate that the change was effective, very drastic measures were taken.)Tomemos un enfoque diferente. (Lets take a different approach.)Viajar no perjudica la salud, si se toman precauciones. (Traveling isnt dangerous to your health, if precautions are taken.)Tomà © la derecha. (I turned to the right.) Using the Reflexive Tomarse The reflexive form, tomarse, is usually used with little or no change in meaning from the nonreflexive form. Sometimes tomarse refers specifically to drinking alcoholic beverages. Tà ³matelo con humor y disfruta el momento. (Take it with a sense of humor and enjoy the moment.)No se tomà ³ toda la cerveza. (He didnt drink all the beer.)Luego, me tomaba un autobà ºs a Panam. (Later, I took a bus to Panama.) Phrases Using Tomar Additionally, tomar is used in idiomatic phrases. Many of them are equivalent to English phrases using the word take. Here are some of the more common: Tomar apuntes - to take notes (an Anglicism, tomar notas, is heard in some areas).Tomar el control - to take control.Tomar (un) examen - to take a test.Tomar fotos - to take photos (sacar fotos is preferred in some areas).Tomar responsabilidad - to take responsibility.Tomar nota - to take note.Tomar parte - to take part.Tomar la pluma - to begin writing.Tomar el sol - to sunbathe.Tomar tierra - to land (said of aircraft).à ¡Tà ³mate esa! - Take that! (said, for example, when hitting someone). Key Takeaways Tomar is a very common verb that carries the idea of taking, although it can be translated in many ways. It often suggests that a choice of some sort was made.Tomar is used in a variety of phrases and idioms.The reflexive form, tomarse, usually has no translatable difference in meaning than the standard form.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Managing Diverse teams Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Managing Diverse teams - Research Paper Example ceptance of the cultural diversity within the workplace, and specific to the American labor force, required that the management and leadership of both public and private enterprise should "embrace diversity", failing which may well "jeopardize their viability, profitability and competitiveness" within the business environment (p. 356.) To this end a "cultural awareness" program and/or policy frameworks were forthcoming. This is highlighted by the benefits that a holistic cultural and diversity management process and practice could realize, with respect to the mismanagement or lack of management skills and abilities, specifically around the benefits of a multicultural and diverse workforce can in fact be represented as a liability for the organization in question (Walker & Miller p. 50, 2010).The potential of such liability is highlighted below, as well as the benefits that may be directly associated with the sound and effective management of a culturally diverse workforce. Based upon the very fact of individual differences within various cultures, in terms of the different "values, styles and personalities", the modern day supervisor or manager must come to "recognize, respect and capitalize" on these traits regardless of the various backgrounds, normally based upon "race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation", and such diversity can in fact "also help improve the companys competitive position in the marketplace" (Walker & Miller). In addition to this Albrecht provides that the potential benefits associated to a multicultural workforce provide for "better decision making, greater creativity and innovation, and more successful marketing to different types of customers". However beyond the specific management and efficacy thereof, there are additional factors that are associated with the costs of multicultural workforces, which are highlighted as "higher turnover rates, interpersonal conflict and communication breakdowns." (p. 245, 2001.) These are the issues
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Kanz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words
Kanz - Essay Example It is the welfare of economic security, physical health, and emotional comfort of the people residing in the society. People have become very much concerned about the environmental impact and social responsibilities. They prefer taking services from those organisations that plays a significant role in the development of the society. Therefore in the present time it has become mandatory for the organization to experience and deliver various social welfare services. Kanz plays an important role in performing different social welfare activities for the society. The company puts immense effort in helping its organizational members to increase their effectiveness and efficiency in their work. Kanz is a leading brand of kids wear in Germany. The organization was founded in 1949. It is present in more than 35 countries of the world. The company sells designer collections of fashionable clothes for children of 0-12 years. Kanz is famous for its different style of clothes characterised with various themes, patterns and colours. This fashion company maintain a separate story for each style of clothes. The company considers the need of both mother and child in its product. The company manufactures products which are easy to wear, easy to use and compatible. Kanz does many other charitable programs for helping the poor children. Its charitable efforts contribute a lot in the welfare of the society. The organization takes a huge initiative in developing t he health care issues of the children. The company provides different types of training to its employees who help in enhancing the skills of the employees (Boxall, Purcell and Wright 2007). This type of social welfare has a huge contribution in developing the society. Kanz takes part in different types of social awareness program. Social collaborative service of the firm wider its welfare activities. The company makes donations in different child care centres. Kanz is involved in the business of children clothing. Therefore
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Administration Effectiveness Essay Example for Free
Administration Effectiveness Essay The organizations must put up realistic and attainable objectives . This is something that can be understood by way of saying that goals of the unit must be made accordance with the support in terms of personnel , resources and equipment available to the unit . It is no right to put up goals that could not be supported by current logistics and personnel available within the unit. This study aimed to determine the administrative effectiveness of the Bureau of Jail Management and penology in the province of Albay in order to recommend measures for improvement to enhance a better system of jail management . Specifically , it sought answers to the following questions : 1. What is the status of Bureau of Jail Management and Penology in the Province of Albay in terms of : a.) Administration b.) Manpower c.) Physical Facilities d.) Services e.) Inmates 2. What is the level of effectiveness of the Bureau of Jail Management And Penology in the Province Of Albay in terms of : a.) Administrative Services b.) Security and Custodial Services c.)Rehabilitation Services 3. What are the problems encountered and solutions offered ? 4. What action plan may be proposed to effect a better system of jail management ? The study utilized the descriptive research method using the 5-point Likert scale to assess the perceptions of the respondents . A total of fourteen (14) officers , one hundred ten (110) non officers rank and thirty- six (36) inmates were considered respondents in this study. See more:Ã The Story of an Hour Literary Analysis Essay FINDINGS The following are the findings in this study . 1. The status of the Bureau of Jail Management and penology are presented in terms of its administration, manpower ,physical facilities , services and inmates. The services were more of the rehabilitation programs provided in different jails . A total of 124 BJMP personnel comprised the entire Albay BJMP. 2. The perceptions of the three groups of respondents o the level of effectiveness of its administrative services , security and custodial services and rehabilitation services are the following : the personnel and budget assessed to be as very effective with average mean of 3.41 inmates welfare with 3.20 also as very effective , mess and supply with 2.81 also as effective as general services with 3.28 as effective . The security and custodial services with the following average mean 3.88 or very effective and escort team with 3.84 also as very effective. Rehabilitation services in terms of the following components : Religious and guidance counseling with 3.24 or very effective livelihood with 2.69 or effective and health services with 2.80 or effective. 3. Most pressing problems were focused on insufficient office supplies , lighting , water and communication facilities as perceived by the non-officers and inmates while the officers viewed no capital outlay and lack of office equipment bunks ,mats and prisoners van as their most pressing problems . The solutions offered : funds for repair and procurement as perceived by the non-officer and inmates is budget for construction of jail facilities / transportation and funds for traveling expenses while the officers perceived on the jail extension . 4. Proposed action plan is prepared in order to address the pressing problems in jail administration and management . CONCLUSIONS From the foregoing findings , the following conclusions are drawn . 1. The services as rendered for rehabilitation by the administration were : conducting religious counseling and guidance ; establishing livelihood programs and activities ; and providing health services to the inmates . 2. Health services and livelihood projects were the only vital needs of inmates to make them productive while incarcerated. 3. Insufficient office supplies and materials and physical facilities were noted as the most pressing problems of proper physical facilities will be install , it will probably ensure safety and security of both inmates and the BJMP personnel . 4. Activities proposed in the action plan are implementable and can be easily achieved by the Albay BJMP. RECOMMENDATIONS 1. The BJMP Central Office should Increase the funds allocated for the different jail Station/ offices. They should make intense representations to the DBM for them to release the immediate needed funds . Investigation of the physical condition and evaluation of the funds requested to ensure the viability of the programs presented. 2. The programs for rehabilitation services are more anchored on the health services to ensure the physical condition of the inmates . Likewise, livelihood projects should be provided to make the inmates more productive while they were incarcerated . Moreover, they should established linkages with other non-governmental agencies to help them in improving their undertakings particularly in the conduct of religious services and other viable programs. 3. Require the administration to adhere to the most and pressing problems of the jail offices and stations . install and give priority to the additional physical facilities such as lighting , water units , mattresses , and other office equipment . The office may not be able to supplement the needed supplies and materials but they could possibly solicit them from other local government agencies . 4. Immediate implementation of the proposed action plan. Areas for further study : a. Evaluation of on-going rehabilitation programs and projects for the Albay Provincial Jail . b. inmates plight in Legaspi City Jail. c. Perceptions on Jail Breaks in Legaspi City. d. Construction Of Conjugal Rooms For Inmates . e. Immediate Evaluation and Judgment of various cases.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
A Comparison of Marxist and Functionalist Views on Society Essay
A Comparison of Marxist and Functionalist Views on Society There is a division between functionalists and Marxists over the functions of the society. Marxism was founded by Karl Marx. Marx saw society as divided into two major parts, the economic base otherwise known as the infrastructure and the super-structure. Functionalists see society as a set of parts which work together to form a whole. Functionalism is also called a consensus theory. Marxism and functionalism are similar in that they see that the way society is structured as an important part in determining the way people have relationships and behave between themselves. This is known as structural perspective. Both functionalists and Marxists believe that people are portrayed as creature within the social system. Functionalists believe that society operates to the benefit of everybody. They stress that societies continue to exist because a lot of the time there is consensus between various aspects of society. They believe that family, education, govern...
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Successful Entrepreneur
Steve Jobs is one of the most successful entrepreneurs and was listed as Fortune Magazineââ¬â¢s Number One most powerful businessman of 2007 out of twenty-five other top businessmen. He is the co-founder, chairman and CEO of Apple Inc. and was the CEO of Pixar Animation Studios until it was acquired by the Walt Disney Company in 2006. Steve Jobs is currently the Walt Disney Companyââ¬â¢s largest shareholder and a member of its Board of Directors. He is considered a leading figure in both the computer and entertainment industries. He is also widely credited as the inventor of the Macintosh, the iPod, the iTunes Store, and the iPhone, among other things. His history in business has contributed greatly to the myths of the quirky, individualistic Silicon Valley entrepreneur, emphasizing the importance of design while understanding the crucial role aesthetics play in public appeal. His work driving forward the development of products that are both functional and elegant has earned him a devoted and popular following. Steve Jobs passion was always technology from a young age, so he took his first job at Atari Inc. hich was a leading manufacturer of video games. He struck up a friendship with fellow designer Steve Wozniak. Steve and Steve developed a system with a toy whistle which made it possible to make free long distance telephone calls. Together with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs helped popularize the personal computer in the late ââ¬Ë70s, and in the early ââ¬Ë80s. After losing a power struggle with the board of directors in 1985, Steve Jobs resigned from Apple and founded NEXT, a computer platform development company specializing in the higher education and business markets. NeXTââ¬â¢s subsequent 1997 buyout by Apple brought Steve back to the company he co-founded, and he has served as its chief executive officer since his return. A true example of a successful entrepreneur who strived with his passion to be the best. Life story of Steve Paul Jobs :- Steve Paul Jobs, was an orphan adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs of Mountain View, California in 24th February 1955. Jobs was not happy at school in Mountain View so the family moved to Los Altos, California, where Steven attended Homestead High School. His electronics teacher at Homestead High, Hohn McCollum. After school, Jobs attended lectures at the Hewlett-Packard electronics firm in Palo Alto, California. There he was hired as a summer employee. Another employee at Hewlett-Packard was Stephen Wozniak a recent dropout from the University of California at Berkeley. An engineering whiz with a passion for inventing electronic gadgets, Wozniak at that time was perfecting his ââ¬Å"blue box,â⬠an illegal pocket-size telephone attachment that would allow the user to make free long-distance calls. Jobs helped Wozniak sell a number of the devices to customers. In 1972 Jobs graduated from high school and register at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. After dropping out of Reed after one semester, he hung around campus for a year, taking classes in philosophy and immersing himself in the counterculture. Early in 1974 Jobs took a job as a video game designer at Atari, Inc. , a pioneer in electronic arcade recreation. After several months working, he saved enough money to adventure on a trip to India where he traveled in search of spiritual enlightenment in the company of Dan Kottke, a friend from Reed College. In autumn of 1974, Jobs returned to California and began attending meetings of Wozniak's ââ¬Å"Homebrew Computer Club. â⬠Wozniak, like most of the club's members, was content with the joy of electronics creation. Jobs was not interested in creating electronics and was nowhere near as good an engineer as Woz. He had his eye on marketability of electronic products and persuaded Wozniak to work with him toward building a personal computer. Wozniak and Jobs designed the Apple I computer in Jobs's bedroom and they built the prototype in the Jobs' garage. Jobs showed the machine to a local electronics equipment retailer, who ordered twenty-five. Jobs received marketing advice from a friend, who was a retired CEO from Intel, and he helped them with marketing strategies for selling their new product. Jobs and Wozniak had great inspiration in starting a computer company that would produce and sell computers. To start this company they sold their most valuable possessions. Jobs sold his Volkswagen micro-bus and Wozniak sold his Hewlett-Packard scientific calculator, which raised $1,300 to start their new company. With that capital base and credit begged from local electronics suppliers, they set up their first production line. Jobs encouraged Wozniak quit his job at Hewlett-Packard to become the vice president in charge of research and development of the new enterprise. And he did quit his job to become vice president. Jobs came up with the name of their new company Apple in memory of a happy summer he had spent as an orchard worker in Oregon. Apple Company and Steve Jobs : Jobs and Wozniak put together their first computer, called the Apple I. They marketed it in 1976 at a price of $666. The Apple I was the first single-board computer with built-in video interface, and on-board ROM, which told the machine how to load other programs from an external source. Jobs was marketing the Apple I at hobbyists like members of the Homebrew Computer Club who could now perform their own operations on their personal computers. Jobs and Wozniak managed to earn $774,000 from the sales of the Apple I. The following year, Jobs and Wozniak developed the general purpose Apple II. The design of the Apple II did not depart from Apple I's simplistic and compactness design. The Apple II was the Volkswagon of computers. The Apple II had built-in circuitry allowing it to interface directly to a color video monitor. Jobs encouraged independent programmers to invent applications for Apple II. The result was a library of some 16,000 software programs. For the Apple II computer to compete against IBM, Jobs needed better marketing skills. To increase his marketing edge he brought Regis McKenna and Nolan Bushnell into the company. McKenna was the foremost public relations man in the Silicon Valley. Nolan Bushnell was Jobs's former supervisor at Atari. Bushnell put Jobs in touch with Don Valentine, a venture capitalist, who told Markkula, the former marketing manager at Intel, that Apple was worth looking into. Buying into Apple with an investment variously estimated between $91,000 and $250,000, Markkula became chairman of the company in May 1977. The following month Michael Scott, who was director of manufacturing at Semi-Conductor Inc. , became president of Apple. Through Markkula, Apple accumulated a line of credit with the Bank of America and $600,000 in venture capital from the Rockefellers and Arthur Roch. Quickly setting the standard in personal computers, the Apple II had earnings of $139,000,000 within three years, a growth of 700 percent. Impressed with that growth, and a trend indicating an additional worth of 35 to 40 percent, the cautious underwriting firm of Hambrecht & Quist in cooperation with Wall Street's prestigious Morgan Stanley, Inc. , took Apple public in 1980. The underwriters price of $22 per share went up to $29 the first day of trading, bringing the market value of Apple to $1. 2 billion. In 1982 Apple had sales of $583,000,000 up 74 percent from 1981. Its net earnings were $1. 6 a share, up 55 percent, and as of December 1982, the company's stock was selling for approximately $30 a share. Over the past seven years of Apple's creation, Jobs had created a strong productive company with a growth curve like a straight line North with no serious competitors. From 1978 to 1983, its compound growth rate was over 150% a year. Then IBM muscled into the personal computer business. Two years after introducing its PC, IBM passed Apple in dollar sales of the machines. IBM's dominance had made its operating system an industry standard which was not compatible with Apple's products. Jobs knew in order to compete with IBM, he would have to make the Apple compatible with IBM computers and needed to introduce new computers that could be marketed in the business world which IBM controlled. To help him market these new computers Jobs recruited John Sculley from Pesi Cola for a position as president at Apple. Jobs enticed Scully to Apple with a challenge: ââ¬Å"If you stay at Pepsi, five years from now all you'll have accomplished is selling a lot more sugar water to kids. If you come to Apple you can change the world. Jobs in 1981 introduced the Apple III, which had never fully recovered from its traumatic introduction, because Apple had to recall the first 14,000 units to remedy design flaws, and then had trouble selling the re-engineered version. Another Apple failure was the mouse-controlled Lisa, announced to stockholders in 1983. It should have been a world beater, because Lisa was the first personal computer controlled by a mouse which made it have a user-friendly interface, but had an un-friendly price of $10,000. The worst thing about Apple's development of computers was they lacked coherence. Each of Apple's three computers used a separate operating system. Jobs designed the Macintosh to compete with the PC and, in turn, make Apple's new products a success. In an effort to revitalize the company and prevent it from falling victim to corporate bureaucracy, Jobs launched a campaign to bring back the values and entrepreneurial spirit that characterized Apple in its garage shop days. In developing the Macintosh, he tried to re-create an atmosphere in which the computer industry's highly individualistic, talented, and often eccentric software and hardware designers could flourish. The Macintosh had 128K of memory, twice that of the PC, and the memory could be expandable up to192K. The Mac's 32-bit microprocessor did more things and out performed the PC's 16-bit microprocessor. The larger concern of management concerning the Macintosh was not IBM compatible. This caused an uphill fight for Apple in trying to sell Macintosh to big corporations that where IBM territory. ââ¬Å"We have thought about this very hard and it old be easy for us to come out with an IBM look-alike product, and put the Apple logo on it, and sell a lot of Apples. Our earning per share would go up and our stock holders would be happy, but we think that would be the wrong thing to do,â⬠says Jobs. The strengths of Macintosh design was not memory, power, or manipulative ability, but friendliness, flexibility, and adaptability to perform creative work. The Macintosh held the moments possibility that computer technology would evolve beyond the mindless crunching of numbers for legions of corporate bean-counters. As the print campaign claimed, the Macintosh was the computer ââ¬Å"for the rest of us. â⬠The strategy Jobs used to introduce the Macintosh in 1984 was radical. The Macintosh, with all its apparent vulnerability, was a revolutionary act infused with altruism, a technological bomb-throwing. When the machine was introduced to the public on Super Bowl Sunday it was, as Apple Chairman Steve Jobs described it, ââ¬Å"kind of like watching the gladiator going into the arena and saying, ââ¬ËHere it is. â⬠The commercial had a young woman athlete being chased by faceless storm-troopers who raced past hundreds of vacant eyed workers and hurled a sledgehammer into the image of a menacing voice. A transcendent blast. Then a calm, cultivated speaker assured the astonished multitudes that 1984 would not be like 1984. Macintosh had entered the arena. That week, countless newspapers and magazines ran stories with titles like ââ¬Å"What were you doing when the ââ¬Ë1984' commercial ran? â⬠Jobs' invocation of the gladiator image is not incidental here. Throughout the development of the Macintosh, he had fanned the fervor of the design team by characterizing them as brilliant, committed marhinals. He repeatedly clothed both public and private statements about the machine in revolutionary, sometimes violent imagery, first encouraging his compatriots to see themselves as outlaws, and then target the audience to imagine themselves as revolutionaries. Jobs, like all those who worked on the project, saw the Macintosh as something that would change the world. Jobs described his Macintosh developing team as souls who were ââ¬Å"well grounded in the philosophical traditions of the last 100 years and the sociological traditions of the 60's. The Macintosh team pursued their project through grueling hours and against formidable odds. A reporter who interviewed the team wrote: ââ¬Å"The machine's development was, in turn, traumatic, joyful, grueling, lunatic, rewarding and ultimately the major event in the lives of almost everyone involvedâ⬠. The image Jobs wanted the public to have of the Macintosh was young, wears blue jeans, and lives in an 80's version of the 60's counterculture. Macintosh was impatient, uncomfortable, and contemptuous of everything that was conventional or hierarchical. He/she was both creative and committed, believing strongly that his/her work ultimately matters. Even if we counted beans for a living, we secretly saw ourselves as Romantic poets. Jobs approach in developing the Macintosh was like the history of telephones. When the telegraph became popular for communication a century ago, some people suggested putting a telegraph machine on everyone's desk, but everyone would have had to learn Morse code. Just a few years later Alexander Graham Bell filed his first patents for the telephone, and that easy-to-use technology became the standard means of communication. ââ¬Å"We're at same juncture; people just are not going to be willing to spend the time learning Morse code, or reading a 400-page manual on word processing. The current generation of personal computers just will not any longer. We want to make a product like the first telephone. We want to make mass market appliances. What we are trying to develop is a computer that can do all those things that you might expect, but we also offer a much higher performance which takes the form of a very easy-to-use product. â⬠As the Macintosh took off in sales and became a big hit, John Sculley felt Jobs was hurting the company, and persuaded the board to strip him of power. John Sculley tried to change the discipline of the company by controlling costs, reducing overhead, rationalizing product lines to an organization that some in the industry called Camp Runamok. Sculley came to the conclusion that ââ¬Å"we could run a lot better with Steve out of operations,â⬠he says. Jobs tended to value technological ââ¬Å"eleganceâ⬠over customer needs which is a costly luxury at a time of slowing sales. And Jobs's intense involvement with the Macintosh project had a demoralizing effect on Apple's other divisions. Jobs was exiled to an office in an auxiliary building that he nicknamed ââ¬Å"Siberia. â⬠Jobs says he did not get any assignments and gradually found that important company documents no longer landed on his desk. He told every member of the executive staff that he wanted to be helpful in any way he could, and he made sure each had his home phone number. Few ever called back. ââ¬Å"It was very clear there was nothing for me to do,â⬠he says, ââ¬Å"I need a purpose to make me go. â⬠He soon came to believe that he would find no purpose within Apple. In July, Sculley had told security analysts in a meeting that Jobs would have no role in the operations of the company ââ¬Å"now or in the future. â⬠When Jobs heard of the message he said, ââ¬Å"You've probably had somebody punch you in the stomach and it knocks the wind out you and you cannot breathe. The harder you try to breathe, the more you cannot breathe. And you know that the only thing you can do is just relax so you can start breathing again. â⬠The Next Step Steveââ¬â¢s Come back to Apple : Jobs sold over $20 million of his Apple stock, spent days bicycling along the beach, feeling sad and lost, toured Paris, also goes on a spiritual trip to India with his friend. The Mr. Nobody, Steve, started again once he was out of his super rich, super successful period. After three years, he founded a new company, ââ¬ËNextââ¬â¢. He launched Next Cube. It was an extremely powerful and much expensive machine at that time and probably, an offering to an immature market. It failed miserably. Then Steve and his company, Next, moved to the making of softwares and operating systems. His money and property were not with him, but his creative mind was. He showed an interest in George Lucasââ¬â¢ company, the Pixar Animations. George Lucas is considered the father of modern special effects in the films. Lucas was not interested in Pixar, so Steve took charge of the company in 1986. He entered into a contract with Disney in 1990. Pixar made the animations and Disney did the marketing and distribution of the animation films. Steve could read the future five years ahead. In 1995, the ââ¬ËToy Storyââ¬â¢ proved to be the huge success in Hollywood and Pixar never looked back. But now this Steve was not the Steve of 1080s. He gradually became Zen Buddhist. Meanwhile, he saw Bill Gates climbing the success ladder with sheer business techniques and not with orthodox ideologies. By the way, the flagship product of Microsoft, the Windows operation system, is nothing but an adaptation of the ideas of Steveââ¬â¢s Macintosh computer. Bill Gates proves to be an extremely practically businessman who along with working for Apple also copied the technologies of Apple Macintosh! Oh! You would ask what happened to Apple after Steveââ¬â¢s exit! Imagine a body without its soul! This is no exaggeration. After leaving its soul, the company instead of running, started crawling. Without Steve, the entire computer business in the world changed in the decade of 90s. Nobody could match the steps with the changing times. Apple Corporation was about to announce bankruptcy and it was about to become insolvent. At that time, the then Appleââ¬â¢ boss, Mr. Gil Emilio took an unprecedented decision. He decided to buy a new operating system for the Mac computers. And the best and advanced operating systems were made by only one company in the vicinity, and that was Steve Jobsââ¬â¢ company, ââ¬ËNextââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ ¦! As per the contract between the Apple and the Next, Steve re-entered his own company after 12 yearsâ⬠¦.! And that too, just for a salary of $ 1 a yearâ⬠¦! But this time the new Steve was different from what he used to be back in 1980s. This Steve came with a lot of learning from life. Now it was his turn to stage the boardroom drama. In 1997, in the board meeting Steve once again was elected the CEO of the Apple Corporation. The new all-powered Steve created ââ¬ËOmetraââ¬â¢, the contract; wherein all the employees were made to agree to the term that the bossââ¬â¢ decision is final in any matter! Steve had already tasted the fruits of being the ââ¬Ëideologistââ¬â¢. Now he was a shrewd businessman, with a lot of practical mind setup. He knew that Apple did not have enough funds to carry out its research projects. So he played one big master stroke. He invited none other than, Mr. Bill Gates to invest in Appleâ⬠¦! Bill Gates was more than ready to invest in Apple, because the person, who copied the technologies of Steve, had to have the greatest trust in his capabilities! Apple was now on track again. Steve was still purist and idealistic as far as the technological innovations and the aesthetic looks are concerned. He made the new ââ¬ËOSXââ¬â¢ operating system, which was a huge success in the market (In OSX, we already have different versions like, Chitah, Puma, Jaguar, Panther, and Tiger. Recently we have seen the successful launch of its Leopard & Snow Leopard version in 2007). Steve also launched the transparent computers in the market for the first time in the name of iMac. Then, we got the super finely designed, iBook laptop from Apple. In 2001, Steve made portable digital music player called, the iPod. Steve always considered the Windows operating System an inferior product as compared to the Macintosh products (which to a large extent is even true). He always called Windows as ââ¬ËWorking in Hellââ¬â¢. But this Steve was ready to compromise with his beliefs for the success of his company. He, eventually, started making the Windows enabled Macintosh computers. The unimaginable success of iPode literally scrambled the pillars of world music industry! Just two years ago, he sold out his animation studio Pixar to Disney and in return, got the life-time directorship on the Disneyââ¬â¢s board. Steve re-entered Apple by playing the gimmick of taking a salary of $ 1 per year. But he, after getting into his company again, proved very influential and last year he was the highest-paid CEO of America! But amidst such an entire scenario, the time and life struggles had taken their toll on Steveââ¬â¢s health. He was diagnosed with Pancreas cancer. He fought with his cancer also and came back victoriously. He sensed that the mobiles with music player were giving tough competition to his iPod. So, he decided to enter an entirely new market segment for Apple, the mobile market. And the result is in front of us ! The iPhone ! Appleââ¬â¢s creativity has got a support in the face of a ruthless, hardcore, practical businessman. The Apple Corporation, today, is valued at more than $120 billion. Bill Gates has failed to proceed further from Windows. And Steve, with his mind power, has gifted us with some of the greatest innovations of our time. When the ever struggling and always winning Steve recently, in a function, told Bill Gates that ââ¬Ëwe have more past moments to cherish than deciding on the future road mapââ¬â¢, everybody around could easily see tears in the eyes of both long time friends! He gave a very emotional, touching and quite inspiring speech to management students on their Commencement in the Stanford University in 2005. This story of successful entrepreneur is much more exciting than watching a fantasy film, isnââ¬â¢t it? The story is of a young man getting all the glitz and glories in his heydays, losing everything because of dirty corporate games, and again through his own intelligence, coming back to the top! Achievements of Steve Jobs: Year after year and event after event, Steven Paul Jobs, popularly known as Steve Jobs has won countless accolades and laurels for his work and dedication to the revolutionize the IT industry. Whether it was the formal ntroduction of Mac computers to the world in the 70s or the inception of the universal revolution called iPhone in 2007 or the most recent revelation of iPad, Steve Jobs has been iconic in the contributions he has made to computer and internet technology ââ¬â every reason why he has been ruling the roost as one of the most admired CEOs of the industry. The primary reason being the impeccable success of the Apple iPad tablet that launched early this year which has sold millions of units world-wide till date. The Apple iPad still continues to make waves and is no doubt, treated as a culture medium of comparison for other competing tablet PCs
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)