...Does TV really make you smarter? Over the past decades, television has become such integrated part of our life that many of us are unable to live without them. The idea of television and its relationship with intelligence have triggered great controversy. Steven Johnson argues that the increasing complexity of the television shows compared to a few decades ago, have helped the viewers to improve their cognitive and inference abilities, essentially, watching the television make you smarter. On the contrary, Dana Stevens argues that watching the television does not essentially make the viewers smarter, but its negative impact, especially on younger generation, is almost unquestionable. Both Arthur have argued the effects of the television on the viewers, but they differ essentially on the impacts of the television. The main difference lies in Johnson’s acceptance and Stevens’ rejection of the assumption that the effect of the television has a positive impact on the viewers’ cognitive ability. Common sense seems to dictate that even though televisions have changed the way people think, but their effects are not necessarily positive. According to Johnson, television programs have grown more complicated over time. As evidence, he pointed out the shows like “24” have integrate far more information than a few decades ago watching a comparable show. Johnson assumes that by keeping up with the entertainment, such as “24”, the viewers need to pay attention, and make inferences to keep...
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...1. What is IBM’s “Smarter Planet” business strategy? How does this strategy relate to IBM’s mission and value? Answer: IBM’s “Smarter Planet” business strategy is a transformational shift from commodity based businesses such as PC, Hard Drive to advanced data analysis and information processing using computational power to help client partner enhance their business due to revolution in global marketplace resulting from integrated digitization of processes and infrastructures. The “Smarter Planet” Business strategy aligns perfectly with IBM’s core value and mission statement. While the core values state that IBM is dedicated to every client’s success and focused on innovation, the mission for IBM is to strive and lead invention and development of industry’s most advanced information technologies including computer systems, software, storage, etc. The smarter planet business strategy plans are aligned on IBM’s mission and core value. 2. Conduct a SWOT analysis for IBM’s Smarter Planet initiative. What are the relevant trends to consider for next three to five years? Answer: Location of Factor | Type of Factor | | Favorable | Unfavorable | Internal | Strength 1. The Business strategy aligns perfectly with the core value and mission of the organization. 2. IBM's near close to $100 Billion Dollar sales provides a strong financial backbone for entering into new initiatives. 3. Skilled resource pool of 426,000 employees which results in 5000 patents annually is a strength...
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...Charlie will not be the same! Now that he has had some recognition with smartness, he will have some changes in his life, this surgery has put a click in his mind that may help him get smarter on his own. Things that he will see now will trigger something in his brain and may make him remember other things, it may have a positive effect on his old but new self. Charlie won’t know it but there will be changes in his old but new life, that will help him get through life with no one to help this time. It was worth taking the risk to make Charlie smarter because this can have such a good impact on Charlie’s new but old life, that doctors can now recognize and help others with if they have the same disabilities. This gave charlie the right amount of time with this knowledge to help him with life after it is gone, meeting Algernon gave charlie a sense of friendship...
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...Within this theory paper the writer will aim to identify and define the elements of the SMARTER framework for effective goal setting and provide examples where necessary. The writer will then expand on the SMARTER framework in particular, goal setting in the context of a SWOT analysis of the business, J. Boag and Son. Following this the writer will identify and define the set of ‘formal’ and ‘informal’ that a marketing manager has at their disposal when completing their elected marketing goals. The SMARTER framework (or more commonly refered to as SMART) in short stands for: • Specific & Measureable • Motivating • Achievable • Relevant • Trackable and Time bound • Exciting • Rewarding To expand on the aforementioned description starting with ‘S’ – Specific & Measureable, this can be defined as the process where the marketing manager states their goals in a measureable way. A goal must be specific, illustrating a single key result. If more than one result is planned on being successfully achieved then more than more than one goal should be set out. Knowing what the business aims to achieve can provide the biggest step toward achieving it. It is paramount that an organization has a goal to help guide its eventual destiny. It pays to mention that the goal itself cannot guarantee the eventual success of an organization. Having a goal can result in more efficient and financially less wasteful management of operations. For a business goal to be effective it must provide...
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...Latin America and Middle East and Africa was strong, enterprise spending slowed in other key growth markets. We are intensifying focus on new growth opportunities. Overall, the opportunity in the world’s growth markets remains attractive. On being essent ial As we have learned throughout our history, the key to success is getting the big things right, innovating and investing accordingly, and challenging our organization, operations and especially our culture to adapt. I am deeply proud of the global IBM team for bringing us here, and I am grateful to you, our shareholders, for your unwavering support. I hope you share our excitement about your company’s path and the shared opportunity we have, together, to build a brighter future on a smarter planet. Virginia M. Rometty Chairman, President and Chief Executive Of cer When you do all those things, you do more than stay abreast of change. You lead it. You invent entirely new capabilities— such as cognitive computing and Watson. You translate these innovations into sustainable economic value—such as building cloud infrastructure that is enterprise-class and societally robust. And you make yourself a laboratory for the future—of work, of engagement, of the modern enterprise. The progress we are making on these strategic imperatives is highly encouraging. No company in our industry is positioned as strongly as 103-year-old IBM for the world now taking shape. We are con dent in our vision, our...
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...9-411-097 REV: JULY 21, 2011 WILLIAM W. GEORGE Leading by Values: Sam Palmisano and IBM In 2002 Sam Palmisano became chairman and CE O of IBM, succeeding the legendary Lou E Gerstner. Gerstner, coming from RJR Nabisco and before that American Express, was sought out by the IBM board to replace John Akers as CEO when the c ompany was facing the greatest crisis in its s history; Gerstner took over IBM’s helm in 1994. IBM w as on the brink of bankruptcy, with many r shareholders pressuring management to capture near-ter m value by divesting pieces of IBM. At the time, Gerstner was viewed as one of the few executives w ho could save the compan . ny When Gerstner arrived on the scene, internal IBM te ams were considering splitting IBM into as many as 13 smaller companies, each of which could com pete as an independent en y. Ironically, in ntit the 1980s under the leadership of former CEO John Opel , IBM had fought off an anti-trust suit from the U.S. government seeking to break up IBM into mult iple companies because of its dominance of t the mainframe computer business. In this same time fram AT&T was ordered to separate its longme distance service, local telephone service, manufacturing a nd R&D into independent companies. Gerstner quickly concluded that breaking up IBM wo uld be a mistake of historic proportions. He l recognized that IBM had drifted from its roots of provid ing superior customer service and offering complete systems to its customers...
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...Abstract IBM is a company that is innovative and strategic; it has had superior success in the computer and electronic industry. The company offers an array of services and products ranging from the sale of computers to business consulting services. Their success over the years can be attributed to their core values and vision. IBM recognized that to remain successful and profitable they would have to make changes and the biggest change would be to add value by having the employees contribute to the changing the values of the company. When employees share the same values, as the company, they are more dedicated to the company. What kept IBM from falling behind is the fact that they developed changed. The purpose of this case analysis is to describe the changes that IBM has made and to discuss the effectiveness of those changes. First we will explain why IBM wanted to make changes and to whom the changes would affect. We will also discuss how the goals has been developed and disseminated within the company, whether it is an effective way to set the stage for external social projects, and lastly, we will make recommendations. IBM Case Study International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is a technological company from America that deals with manufacturing and marketing of computers, both hardware and software’s. It also involves itself with other services such as, hosting, consulting services and not forgetting the infrastructure. Having been founded over one hundred years...
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...IBM Case Study 1. What factors led to IBM’s success during the 1960s and 1970s and its problems during the late 1980s and early 1990s? Watson Jr. hit a home run when he invested $5 billion to develop the System/360 computer family, which utilized an integrated semiconductor chip and modular components. Taking full advantage of this innovative momentum, IBM debuted other products during that time which enabled the company to rise to the top of the IT industry. These products included hard and floppy disks, a new computer language and the company’s first personal computer. In the mid 1980s, IBM started to run into trouble when its returns and market share began to slide. Customer needs were changing and emerging technologies led to the demise of IBM’s main product focus—the mainframe. Customers were looking for interconnected mainframes and mobile personal computers with distributed data sources and applications. Instead of devising a strategy to satisfy customer demands and set itself apart from competitors, IBM chose to transition from a lease oriented business to a sales oriented business. This lack of customer focus was coupled with an inefficiently designed workforce that would rather fight with each other than work together. Additionally, the company was so successful in the past that no attempt was made to cut costs/expenses and identify/correct inefficiencies. Adding more salt to the wound was the fact that top level executives were so far removed from daily operations...
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...Increasingly Diversified Economy As mentioned in the previous report, factors such as education brought about the increase in real wages amongst the women gender. Within 20 years from 1988 to 2008, women’s wages rose by an average of 11.6%. The increase in wages among women age 45 to 49 at 17.8% made the most improvement. Next, according to the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, it states that in 47 of the 50 largest U.S. metro areas, women in the 20s are already making more money than their male counterparts. With a higher wage brings about a higher purchasing power amongst women. This can be clearly seen in the increase in purchasing power from the purchases made by women, where women make up of 58% on online retail dollars spent, 80% on health care decisions and 45% of consumer electronics. Today, businesses are increasingly focusing on the growing female market, as more women are responsible for making decisions on purchases. Quoting from an article by TIME, “Women are using their rapidly increasing spending power to impel changes in the way companies operate”. With the strategies for companies changing, globalization also brings about a need for more diversified teams and workforce. Having a more diversified workforce would mean allowing more minorities on board, where the diversity could potentially be difficult to manage. Recent research has shown that there is an increasing need for women in managerial roles as they are more risk adverse, empathetic...
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...MANAGING WORKFORCE DIVERSITY AT IBM: A GLOBAL HR TOPIC THAT HAS ARRIVED J. T. (Ted) Childs Jr. To be successful, global companies must continue to look toward the future, and CEOs, senior line and HR management, and diversity leaders play a key role in that process. Workforce diversity cannot be delegated; it must be a partnership. Although the HR team plays the key staff role, total delegation from the top, without active involvement, is a recipe for failure. IBM considers diversity a business imperative as fundamental as delivering superior technologies in the marketplace. To ensure that talented people can contribute at the highest possible level, the company insists on a workplace that is free of discrimination and harassment and full of opportunity for all people. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Today, workforce diversity is a global workplace and marketplace topic. Any business that intends to be successful must have a borderless view and an unyielding commitment to ensuring that workforce diversity is part of its day-to-day business conduct. Success also must be measured as it pertains to a company’s composition and program content. A company’s management team must ask itself, “Do we look like our customers, at all levels of our business?” “Do our programs reflect an understanding of the demand for talent in a competitive worldwide marketplace?” “Is our business culture one that fosters inclusiveness and tolerance in each country where we do business?” and, most...
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...Global Management Assignment – The IBM Case Please answer the following questions: (1) What global forces drove IBM to become a globally-integrated enterprise? An increasingly global world creates many opportunities – easier and faster communication, more affordable and more refined solutions, as well as a better interconnectivity between customers and suppliers around the globe. As the internet has deeply integrated itself into the economic performance of companies and countries at meso and macro levels, the competition between suppliers is increasing and fostering a more rapid innovation cycle. As new markets open up and offer new profit pools for companies, it is essential for firms such as IBM to be on top of their game. They need to analyze and understand market trends before they are even born and respond with a global solution, which is capable of taking transnational strategies and skillfully translating them for the local market needs. The biggest market for any company might not always be its home market. Free markets around the world create many opportunities for growth. However, if IBM fails to identify these opportunities, it can cost the company its survival, as the competition quickly moves in and takes over. Globalization means more options and power for customers, as all over the world people can virtually connect with companies, goods and services anywhere. Therefore, open markets, new market entries, developing government policies, increased customer...
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...Title: Stronger, Faster, Smarter. By: Carmichael, Mary, Newsweek, 00289604, 3/26/2007, Vol. 149, Issue 13 Database: Academic Search Premier ------------------------------------------------- Stronger, Faster, Smarter Section: Health for Life Exercise does more than build muscles and help prevent heart disease. New science shows that it also boosts brainpower--and may offer hope in the battle against Alzheimer's. The stereotype of the "dumb jock" has never sounded right to Charles Hillman. A jock himself, he plays hockey four times a week, but when he isn't body-checking his opponents on the ice, he's giving his mind a comparable workout in his neuroscience and kinesiology lab at the University of Illinois. Nearly every semester in his classroom, he says, students on the women's cross-country team set the curve on his exams. So recently he started wondering if there was a vital and overlooked link between brawn and brains--if long hours at the gym could somehow build up not just muscles, but minds. With colleagues, he rounded up 259 Illinois third and fifth graders, measured their body-mass index and put them through classic PE routines: the "sit-and-reach," a brisk run and timed push-ups and sit-ups. Then he checked their physical abilities against their math and reading scores on a statewide standardized test. Sure enough, on the whole, the kids with the fittest bodies were the ones with the fittest brains, even when factors such as socioeconomic status were taken...
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...Sefora Guillen Prof. Seif C.A.R 2 March 27, 2012 Response to “Why Bilinguals are Smarter” Researchers have discovered people who are bilingual are smarter. The profound effect of bilingualism improves cognitive skills not related to language and helps prevent against dementia in old age. Bilingualism was considered an interference that hindered a child’s academic and intellectual development. The interference happens because the brain activates both languages so they obstruct each other. However, this interference is in fact a blessing in disguise because it actually forces the brain to resolve internal conflicts which gives the mind a workout that strengthens its cognitive muscles. Some instances were bilinguals surpass monolinguals in intelligence are at solving certain types of mental puzzles. The article explains a 2004 study conducted by psychologists Ellen Bialystok and Michelle Martin-Rhee were “bilingual and monolingual preschoolers were asked to sort blue circles and red squares presented on a computer screen into two digital bins. In the first task, the children had to sort the shapes by color, placing blue circles in the bin marked with the blue square and red squares in the bin marked with the red circle. Both groups did this with comparable ease. Next, the children were asked to sort by shape, which was more challenging because it required placing the images in a bin marked with a conflicting color. The bilinguals were quicker at performing...
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...Are children smarter (or more socialized) because of the Internet? In the world today, technology is everywhere, and the Internet is a major part of our lives. Almost everything we do in our daily lives has to do with the computer or some sort of technology in one way or another. Children now a days are starting to use technology at younger age. There are a lot of children with tablets or iPods, which they use daily. So this brings to mind, are children smart or more socialized because of the internet? With children of all ages using the internet on daily basis, are they learning or just using it to socialize with other friends? According to 2005 Pew Research Center report, 87% of 12-17 year olds are online. That is a 24% increase over the past 4 years, this leads people to worry about the effect of access to endless information or misinformation, on children. Some researchers have found that having a home computer has led to higher standardized test scores, and others have found that a home computer encourages children to more self-directed learners. Children these days are encouraged to use the internet in order to do research and find reliable sources for their research. The internet offers a wide variety of study options for children from online tests to computer generated index cards. A plus to the internet is that it offers and endless supply of knowledge and information. But you must know how to determine what is true and what is false online. And for this reason...
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...Benefits of Watching TV While Steve John used a lot of different examples in his “Watching TV Makes You Smarter”, he in fact did so to show that there are many evidences to prove his claim, and as long as the readers have watched at least two shows that he talks about, the point is quite clear that the TV series industry has well improved its role in exercising our mind in the last few decades. John’s work, however, bewilders readers easily with its novel graphs and manifold examples of outdated shows. With his new way of illustration, readers may have to be familiar with TV shows; how scenes take place at various times and places have clues to the one main story line; how the seemingly unrelated plots interwoven together to make a bigger and more profound story line. But if read closely the graphs are not hard to understand, and while Johnson clearly isn’t writing to people who don’t watch TV, the shows he brings up would be nonsense to the group, and on top of that it is not necessary for the readers to even know the shows he talks about, if the readers can pay most of their attention on structure change of the shows, and not the contents of them. As Johnson putted “ Over the last half-century, programming on TV has increased the demands it places on precisely these mental faculties. ” According to Johnson, these faculties are attention, patience, retention, and the parsing of narrative thread, and they are the cognitive benefits ascribed to reading. So examining whether...
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