Nemanja Aleksic Interview - Make your users happy, make them your advocates

Hey WordPress aficionados, we are back with yet another interesting talk from our Pirate Interviews series. This time, its Nemanja Aleksic from ManageWP who will share his take on the WordPress  community, hosting, and the WordPress market  in general. The topics are diverse, so you should not miss this one.But before that, dont forget to check out our last interview with Adrian Spiac from TranslatePress on how to build and promote a product in the WordPress space. Moreover, if you want to get more inspiration from WordPress experts and business owners, dont leave until you go through our entire section of interviews with beautiful WordPress folks.As for Nemanja, its his turn today to tell us his insights on building and growing with our CMS. We actually met Nemanja at the most recent WordCamp Bucharest edition and we invited him to a casual interview, which we did between speakers presentations.Nemanja is a WordCamp speaker himself, though he wasnt speaking that day in Bucharest . He is a product marketer at ManageWP and GoDaddy and is in love with the WordPress community, which is actually the reason why he started a career and remained loyal to our CMS during all this time.Heres Nemanja Aleksic sharing how he went from a developer to a support guy and then a marketer, and how the best marketing consists of telling the truth and not trying to sell mist, as they call it in Serbia. WordCamps takeaways, hosting business read further for an overall view of the WordPress community. Or just watch it because we have a video version, too (open the embedded tweet to the right to see all the answers).#WCBuc was one of the few #WordCamps where @kouteki_ wasnt organizing, speaking, or volunteering.So, we asked him for an interview.He spoke about #WordPress, #hosting, and some really exciting stuff around site migration.Question 1: How did you get started with WordPress? pic.twitter.com/uDjshwuG0Q ThemeIsle (@ThemeIsle) October 27, 2018 How did you get started with Wor dPress?Nemanja Aleksic:As many others did, I started freelancing back in the 2000s. I was looking for a change of career and I was always good with computers, even from ZX Spectrum. I was always messing with things, breaking stuff. So when I realized that I could make this a career, I started first working with Joomla (I know, I know, Im sorry), but at some point when WordPress started to get off, I got introduced to the WordPress community and I was blown away and then I switched over to WordPress as CMS of my choice.Did the community make you switch?  Nemanja Aleksic:Yes, yes. Because there was so much more content out there, so many people were willing to help, so much more advice, so much more everything, which is even today the biggest trend of WordPress.You love computers and programming, but right now youre a marketer. How?Nemanja Aleksic:Yeah, its a strange choice cause I always said that Ill never do three things in life: support (because I hate dealing with disgruntled p eople), public speaking (because Im terrible with crowds), and marketing (because I hate selling mist, as we say in Serbia). But it turns out that I got the opportunity to get deeper in WordPress by joining ManageWP, a company that was founded back in 2010.There, a learned a lot about WordPress and through my work in the support team I started profiling myself as somebody whos got a good emotional experience and I realized that marketing is something thats pretty good for me in the sense where Im more of a no-bullshit kind of guy, with a focus on product marketing. So the actual stuff that we can build and how do we promote it to users, as opposed to just taking something and selling it.Youre back in Bucharest after 24 years. How has it changed?Nemanja Aleksic:Its been really exciting, I was here in 1994 so I worked with a lot of Romanian people. I remember, when I was a kid, we were on a winter holiday and we actually watched when Ceausescu was taken down. So it was a direct feed i n Belgrade.When I came to Romania (to Bucharest, actually) in 1994, I saw that youd started this transition; people were still poor but the optimism was seen on every corner. Now Im happy to see that you made a long way since then so people are healthier, happier, and they have more means to live and succeed, so Im really happy for you guys.What about the Romanian WordPress community?Nemanja Aleksic:So the first time Ive heard about the Romanian community was actually in Bulgaria, at WordCamp Europe. There was a big community meeting where a lot of people were asking about how to kickstart their communities and how to help put together the first WordCamps. And right about at the same time as we were looking to start WordCamp Belgrade, there was a group of people from Bucharest who were asking the exact same questions for WordCamp Bucharest. And fast-forward one year, we got the first WordCamp Belgrade and first WordCamp Bucharest.You guys are doing great and the community is growing and I think the best thing that I like is there is a lot of collaboration between the regional communities and you can see a lot of faces in different countries, at different WordCamps, meaning that theres a lot of collaboration between us.Does offering maintenance or hosting services beat building themes/plugins?Nemanja Aleksic:From a company perspective, hosting business is probably better in the long run because, if we look at it like this, people start as freelancers or building websites. So thats a feast and famine cycle: you gotta work to get paid. You stop working, you stop getting paid. So the first step is, you get into some sort of a maintenance contract and you get recurring revenue without having to actually work on the time.But then, theres the next step where you actually create a product it could be a theme, a plugin, hosting or something else but then there is the logical next step. The only problem that I currently see is that there is a great volume of low-quali ty themes and plugins, so getting into the market is very hard right now.We got the situation where the whole market is getting consolidated meaning there are fewer and fewer great companies but they are producing more themes; on the other end, there is a ton of low-quality plugins that might be good, but they are not supported well, they dont have a big enough team and they will probably end up being abandoned one year from now.Can a hosting business guarantee you financial stability?Nemanja Aleksic:I wouldnt say go for hosting because people need to think about providing solutions, not features. You need to focus on what customers need. If a coffee shop down the street needs a website, it doesnt mean you just have to put up a website and youre done. You actually need to help them put up their online presence and then maintain. So, in that sense, you become their right hand, their expert and thats a much healthier relationship for both you and them.Tell us one thing you learned fro m WordCamps that helped you very much either professionally or personally.Nemanja Aleksic:To ask questions. The most beautiful thing about WordCamps are not the talks per se or the swag (even though many will tell you the swag is awesome) but the fact that you have so many different profiles in the room and you sit right next to them. You just need to introduce yourself and ask a question and that person will give you an honest answer 99% of the time (at least in the WordPress community).They might not be a better developer than you are but they might know a thing or two that you dont know. They might help you with the business side of things because the one reason I started doing talks at WordCamps because I realized Im not that good of a developer and, by switching to ManageWP, I stopped coding entirely. But more importantly, there are a lot of development talks but not a lot of business talks.So we have a situation where people who know how to create really good websites end up c harging 50 euros for them. Which is terrible because they will give up, they will switch to being a chef in a restaurant or something else and well lose a good developer.So getting your business in a good shape and getting it off the ground is just as important as creating good websites.Who is doing incredible things in the WordPress space right now?Nemanja Aleksic:Well, I will always nominate our team but, in reality, we are currently trying to tackle one thing and thats like get the capability where you can migrate your website from staging to live and to a local host and back without having to lose any information. Its something that weve been working on and right now we managed to create the ability to migrate from your local host computer to a live server and back without having any application on the desktop. So its all done for browser.The next step for us is to create a database emerging functionality where you can have a live e-commerce website that you can clone to a stagi ng area; do some stuff like an update or something and then clone it back without losing all the orders that you had in the meantime.But if I have to nominate somebody else, I would say Health Check. Im really excited about the whole project. Its basically a plugin that enables you to troubleshoot your website and to create a series of recommendations like what do you need to do to improve your website even if its breaking down like this is the individual component like a plugin or line of code thats actually breaking. Its still in the early stages so it tends to break the website as much as fix it but if the community gets it off the ground, that would be a fantastic asset for everybody because everybody will be able to use it.Whats the one marketing strategy that always proves to be efficient when you want to promote a product?Nemanja Aleksic:In the WordPress space, I would say utilizing the user base and the community. If we look at other conferences and other communities, its m uch more us versus them mentality. So you have the companies versus the attendees, who are the users.In our community, there is a lot more mix; these two groups are intertwined so users are at the same time both the service providers, speakers, and organizers. We realized early on, if we can put up a quality product and make our users happy, they will amplify your message tenfold.So right now, what were seeing for ManageWP is, we get spikes in traffic, spikes in sign-ups from different locales, different countries. We didnt do anything but then we realized somebody held a talk on efficient website management and they said oh, we love ManageWP, you should try it out. Were investing zero efforts directly but, on our end, what we are doing is to make that promise to the users and to keep up our end of the deal and they are telling everybody about it.So make your users happy, make them your advocates. That would be my advice. Nemanja Aleksic (@kouteki_) #interviewed at ThemeIsle - on #c ommunity and #marketing. #WordPress Click To Tweet That sums up our Nemanja Aleksic interview. If you have any questions for him, please leave them in the comments section. Also, if you have any suggestions for who we should talk to next, feel free to give us some names, as well!Free guide5 Essential Tips to Speed Up Your WordPress SiteReduce your loading time by even 50-80% just by following simple tips.

Free Essays on French And English Colonization

â€Å"We Spanish suffer from a strange disease of the heart, for which the only known remedy is gold.† (Cortà ©s) While the motivations of the Spanish for colonizing the Americas were different than the English, it is clear to see that Spain and England had the greatest impact and success in their colonization efforts. The bearing of Spanish colonization is characterized mostly by the efforts of converting Native Americans into Christians and the impact, although not positive, of spreading disease to the people of the Americas. The success, in contrast, can be noted by the explorations of Christopher Columbus, their large colonial establishments, and their transformation of the world’s economy. The impact of the English was enormous, from the settling of colonies in North America, to the development of North American slave trade, and the emergence of tobacco as a major crop, the achievements of the English are clear and distinct. Conversely, the accomplishments and impact of the Dutch and French were not as prevailing. The unstable empire of the Dutch constitutes them less successful, while the French, although peaceful and economically proven, did not have as big of an impact based on pure conquest. Christopher Columbus, an Italian seaman who was endorsed by the Spanish, unknowingly discovered the two Americas on his way to seeking a new water route to the Indies. This discovery was incredibly important to the beginning of colonization for the Spanish. In time, the diffusion between the Old World and the New World began conglomerating. Columbus and his men introduced horses to the Americas and in essence, Native American tribes began incorporating these animals to make them more mobile in hunting and general transportation efforts. The negative impact that the Spanish had during their colonization of the Americas was disease. Smallpox, yellow fever, and malaria were all life-threatening diseases that made their way o... Free Essays on French And English Colonization Free Essays on French And English Colonization â€Å"We Spanish suffer from a strange disease of the heart, for which the only known remedy is gold.† (Cortà ©s) While the motivations of the Spanish for colonizing the Americas were different than the English, it is clear to see that Spain and England had the greatest impact and success in their colonization efforts. The bearing of Spanish colonization is characterized mostly by the efforts of converting Native Americans into Christians and the impact, although not positive, of spreading disease to the people of the Americas. The success, in contrast, can be noted by the explorations of Christopher Columbus, their large colonial establishments, and their transformation of the world’s economy. The impact of the English was enormous, from the settling of colonies in North America, to the development of North American slave trade, and the emergence of tobacco as a major crop, the achievements of the English are clear and distinct. Conversely, the accomplishments and impact of the Dutch and French were not as prevailing. The unstable empire of the Dutch constitutes them less successful, while the French, although peaceful and economically proven, did not have as big of an impact based on pure conquest. Christopher Columbus, an Italian seaman who was endorsed by the Spanish, unknowingly discovered the two Americas on his way to seeking a new water route to the Indies. This discovery was incredibly important to the beginning of colonization for the Spanish. In time, the diffusion between the Old World and the New World began conglomerating. Columbus and his men introduced horses to the Americas and in essence, Native American tribes began incorporating these animals to make them more mobile in hunting and general transportation efforts. The negative impact that the Spanish had during their colonization of the Americas was disease. Smallpox, yellow fever, and malaria were all life-threatening diseases that made their way o...

Rape of the Locke Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Rape of the Locke - Essay Example A dire offence is seen in it and a grim situation emerges. The early part of the poem by the revelation of Ariel (1.27-114) gives the philosophical touch to the missing lock. He says, she should be happy that the lock will survive after her death—what a satirical style to highlight her self-importance! The sexuality prevalent in the elite society is subtly tackled by Alexander Pope. He explores the bifacial strategy of the elite to look sober and polished but sexual passion is hidden behind the surface. The act of cutting the hair though a joke, is a form of intimidation and rape. Further, sexuality is also implicit in the following couplet: There is enough stuff in the poem to indicate how the so-called civilized and high class people behave silly like children, and behind the dignified demeanor, violent emotions exist. The basest human motives are intelligently covered so that the world outside does not see it. Pope also pictures the world in which a man worships the woman and the woman worships herself. The poet details and rather defends the compulsions of Belinda as to the necessity for her to behave the way she behaves. The subtle competition and the rat-race to excel, amongst the members of the elite society, create poignant situations for individuals like Belinda. Nowhere the poet condemns her; he sympathizes with her plight. This poem is supposed to be based on the vanities of two families with whom Pope was well-acquainted with. It acts like the soothing balm to cool hot tempers and inculcate the habit to laugh at one’s own folly. Though epic is a serious literary form, Pope derives maximum fun and satire out of this poem. He has a dig at the society in which values have been sacrificed for silly-nothings. A society that gives more importance to the container and not the contents! The society that has been rendered

Privacy-Enhancing Security Mechanisms Research Proposal

Privacy-Enhancing Security Mechanisms - Research Proposal Example There also exist some privacy-preserving protocols that are being widely used in different technologies, such as, wireless sensor networks, mobile computing, and data mining operations. In this paper, we will discuss the technique to design a reliable and efficient privacy-preserving scheme in order to ensure increased security of data over the network. Problem Statement The problem statement for the research paper is: "Design and analysis of privacy-preserving network and cryptographic protocols" Conceptual Framework Aim of the Research In realistic networked environments, data security is the main focus of the management. Although there are several protocols and security mechanisms available for the protection of sensitive information, yet the security of the networked environments cannot be fully guaranteed. Generation of a reliable secret key can play a considerable role in this regard which should encrypt and decrypt the data while ensuring data integrity and authentication. The re is a need to design and implement privacy-enhanced cryptographic protocols using private handshaking, which should be able to provide optimum security to the sensitive information being transferred using mobile and messaging services. We will focus on designing a new pair wise key management scheme, which will include the properties of digital signatures and blindness along with the use of private handshakes. The key management scheme will make use of Boneh and Shacham's group signature scheme to ensure privacy and security in wireless networks. Literature Review Das and Giri state that pair wise key establishment enables sensor nodes to communicate securely in a sensor network with other nodes with the use of cryptographic techniques. Bista and Chang state, â€Å"Many wireless sensor network (WSN) applications require privacy-preserving aggregation of sensor data during transmission from the source nodes to the sink node†. Privacy is integral for wireless networks and ins tant messaging. Patil and Kobsa state, â€Å"Inadequate support for managing privacy could lead to suboptimal use of IM and thereby undermine its benefits†. Privacy-preserving network protocols play an important role in ensuring securing of data being transferred over the network. Privacy-preserving authentications achieve traditional goals as well as privacy of the authenticator and the verifier (Xu and Yung). Two of the main Privacy-Preserving Network Protocols include TOR and Off-the-record messaging. Off-the-record messaging techniques will be used because it enables private conversations over the wireless networks using the concept of encryption, authentication, deniability, and perfect forward secrecy. Cryptographic protocols will also be an important part of the research because they use such algorithms which ensure security of information over the network. â€Å"For the past three decades, a wide variety of cryptographic protocols have been proposed to solve secure c ommunication problems† (Shin). â€Å"Modern cryptography is concerned with the construction of systems that are robust against malicious attempts† (Goldreich). Cryptographic protocoal serve good when used in combinations, such as, ? 1, some ? 2s. â€Å"Although cryptographic protocols are typically analyzed in isolation, they are used in combinations† (Guttman). Lindell and Pinkas state, â€Å"Cryptographers seek to make secure protocols as efficient as possible in order to minimize the performance gap between secure and naive

Emission Trading System in Australia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Emission Trading System in Australia - Essay Example This paper explores the Emission Trading System in Australia and its annihilation with focus placed on three economic variables (demand, supply, and government regulations). The price control (EMS elimination) was introduced with the view to lower the amount spent on environmental protection significantly by 2020. However, this process develops differently in the short run and in the long run. Elimination of the EMS in Australia will lead to reduced investment in the Australian market especially for manufacturing companies. Increase in government regulations encumbers economic growth because it makes the economy rigid and costly to invest in. The cost of investment in the Australian market generates two dissimilar effects on the economy. First, it increases the cost of investment in the country and the cost of environmental control within the country. The gridlocked EMS would lower the cost of carbon by $20 to $25 per ton (Davis & Taylor, 2011, p.1). This cost shifts to the investors, which raises operational costs. Second, it increases the price of manufactured commodities in the country. Increased investments (loanable funds) from LF0 to LF1 increases the supply of commodities showed through the curve SLF. The reverse is true when investment levels reduce irrespective of the reasons for the reduction. Reduction in investment can also arise from decreased profit margins due to increase in the operational costs for businesses operating within the country. The situation in Australia, with eradication of EMS, produces a combination of both factors working against increased investments in production companies in the country. However, the government regulation to switch to renewable sources of energy as an alternative to carbon emitting sources will reverse the situation (Wang & Blackmore, 2012, p.4389). The initial cost for the companies will definitely be high

Transactive Memory System and Creativity of Dutch Designers

Transactive Memory System and Creativity of Dutch Designers Preface The author declares that the text and work presented in this Master thesis are original and that no other sources other than those mentioned in the text and its references have been used in creating the Master thesis. The copyright of the Master thesis rests with the author. The author is responsible for its contents. RSM Erasmus University is only responsible for the educational coaching and beyond that cannot be held responsible for its contents. Abstract This research examines the impact of the transactive memory system on the creativity of Dutch fashion designers, architects and graphic designers. The transactive memory system (TMS) consists of individual expertise of members as well as their knowledge of ‘who knows what and is based on communication. The emphasis in this thesis is given to the retrieval function of the TMS. This function could have an impact on the process of idea generation. In this research a special focus will be on the concept of ‘ba, developed by Nonaka (1994). Central to the ‘ba stands the idea of knowledge creation during interaction. Approximately five hundred designers were sent an online survey about the impact of the environment, knowledge creation and knowledge transfer on the retrieval of information during idea generation. The final number of cases used was 128 and these were empirically investigated using a multiple regression analysis. Results showed that having connections with other individuals did have a significant impact on the creativity of Dutch designers during idea generation (ÃŽ ²=.379 significant at level .001). Furthermore, the use of explicit knowledge showed to have an unexpected positive moderating effect on the relationship between retrieving information and creativity (ÃŽ ²=.202 significant at level .05). However, the other aspects did not show significant results. Chapter 1 Introduction and research topic Introduction ‘The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your resources Albert Einstein In order to be successful in the creative industry, designers have to be able to deliver what is perceived to be creative. But what is creativity? Many researchers focused on the personality approach; defining creativity as a personality trait. Simonton (2003) argued that creativity has three essential components: person, product and process. These components have to be interrelated in order to recognize creativity. Koestler (1964) proposed that creativity involves a ‘bisociative process- connecting two frames of reference to produce new insight or invention. Amabile et al (2005) mentioned that creative performance can be affected by the work environment in every context; a school, a room, a design studio or organization. Amabile (1983) focused on the process of creativity and identified that social and environmental influences are also of importance in creative performance. She developed a framework, which describes the way in which cognitive abilities: personality characteristics and social factors might contribute to the different stages of the creative process. Social networks are taken as to be one of these social factors. How does this work in the creative industry? Designers must have all of the resources and assets available in order to succeed in todays highly competitive marketplace. But where do new ideas come from? And in what way do these ideas affect creativity? Marlies Dekkers designs her collections based on a different concept than traditional underwear. Every collection is inspired by movies, art or literature. When she has a moment of inspiration, even if it is in the middle of the night, all the members of her designing team receive a text message with her idea. They all discuss this idea the next morning. Rem Koolhaas has been successful architect for more than twenty years. He celebrates the chance-like nature of city life: the city is an addictive machine from where there is no escape. Another key theme in architectural design was introduced by Koolhaas. This notion: the ‘Program, involves an act to contribute to human activities. Over the past 15 years Viktor and Rolf have taken the fashion world by storm with their particular blend of cool irony and surreal beauty. They created The House of Viktor Rolf that presents each of the designers signature pieces from 1992 to now, shown in a specially commissioned and characteristically theatrical installation. They are most well-known for their fantastical and concept driven designs and for their conceptually driven fashion show presentations. Subjects of their work include their analysis of fashion and the fashion industry, the idea of the fashion designer as a story teller, transformation and illusions. Marlies Dekkers, Rem Koolhaas and Viktor Rolf are successful, but are inspired in different ways. It could be interesting to know in what way social relationships affect creativity; what kinds of relationships are part of the process of generating ideas? Family, friends or peers? And within which context and with what means are these ideas shared, transferred or created? Perry- Smith and Shalley (2003) focused on the importance of generating creative ideas and tried to explore the association between the context of social relationships and individual creativity. They argued that informal relationships are more beneficial, in general, than formal relationships for creativity. Informal relationships are not specifically required as a part of the job. These relationships are more likely to provide connections to people with diverse viewpoints and perspectives (Perry-Smith, 2008). Informal ties ease the process of communication rather than formal ties. Conversations with others can therefore not only be a source of ideas, but also a driving force behind creativity. Nonaka Toyama (2003) discuss the potential of these dialogues as they introduce the concept of ‘Ba; a context or place, which can transcend beyond boundaries to create knowledge. Knowledge creation occurs as the actors synthesize tacit and explicit knowledge in social space. Conversations can create new knowledge and enhance creativity. Searching for information and getting inspired is essential during this process. A transactive memory system (TMS) is a collective memory of who knows what. This is a shared system for encoding, storing and retrieving information (Wegner, 1986). The TMS is based on the idea that individual members can serve as external memory to others. Its value is determined by the willingness of members to search for the specific expertise. Members are able to benefit from each others knowledge and expertise if they develop a good, shared understanding of who knows what in the group/unit. They are able to develop deep expertise in specialty areas and they can rely on other members to provide access to others specific knowledge (Lewis, 2003). Retrieving information is a valuable asset of a TMS: individuals with specialized expertise can be found quickly. Designer creativity and the retrieval function of a TMS have not yet been associated with each other; connections to people who are creative or have specific expertise may help individuals be more creative (Perry-Smith, 2008). Therefore the subsequent question will be central in this research: What is the effect of the retrieval function of a transactive memory system on the creativity of fashion designers, architects and graphic designers in the Netherlands? The following sub-questions can be derived: How is a transactive memory system used to generate new ideas? How is a transactive memory system used during the transfer of knowledge? 1.1 Research Objective The objective of this research is to provide some new insights as to how the retrieval function of the transactive memory system (TMS) can have an impact on the creativity of designers. The purpose of this research is to test theory and causal relations. The most appropriate research strategy will be the survey design since we are dealing with probabilistic hypotheses. The numbers of respondents to the survey in this research were 128. 1.2 Thesis structure The next chapter will discuss the theoretical issues, namely the concept of creativity and the transactive memory system. Chapter 3 will justify the chosen research design and the analysis of the results. The general discussion, implications and recommendations will be described in Chapter 4. Part I Chapter 2 Literature Review ‘Everything you can imagine is real Pablo Picasso This chapter will discuss the relationship between the retrieval function of the TMS and creativity as well as different aspects that could moderate this relationship. The first section will explain how retrieving information can play a role during idea generation. The following part will discuss the cognitive elements that could impact this relationship such as absorptive capacity, scanning the environment, the usage of boundary objects and the role of a shared context (‘ba). A conceptual model will be presented at the end of this chapter, displaying the presumed relationships. Introduction Designers operate in a creative environment and are faces with innovative tasks. They should be able to identify trends and changes during idea generation. This phenomenon called environmental scanning can be used to retrieve relevant information. Cohen and Levinthal (1990) argue that the ability to exploit external knowledge is critical during the generation of ideas. They introduce the concept of absorptive capacity, which is the ability to take in and make use of new knowledge. In this way, retrieving information requires prior related knowledge to assimilate this newly acquired information. Sharing information means sharing knowledge. The context in which these interactions take place is crucial. Knowledge is created by means of interaction among individuals or between individuals and their environment. ‘Ba is the context shared by those who interact with each other (Nonaka Toyama, 2003). Thus, designers could retrieve relevant information when participating in a ‘ba. To deliver creative products, designers need to be able to combine and integrate knowledge. They could face knowledge boundaries during interaction. Different boundary objects can be used to manage knowledge across boundaries (Carlile, 2002). The first difficulty that needs to be addressed is the way different types of ‘ba, the environment and the usage of absorptive capacity are related to retrieving information. The second problem that needs to be addressed is how boundary objects are being used dring the generation of ideas. The most common means of identifying creativity has been through its products. In architecture, music, writing, art and even scientific discovery the presence of a creative product is of importance (Akin Akin, 1998) Creativity is generally defined as the production of novel, useful ideas or problem solutions. It refers to both the process of idea generation or problem solving and the actual idea or solution (Amabile, 1983). Drawing on the assumption that novelty is the distinguished feature of creative work, Simonton (1999) focused his theory on variation. In this theory, the process of variation primarily contributes to idea novelty; it is guided by the existence of knowledge elements that are available for combination into new variations within the creators mind. According to Simonton (1999), the initial selection of ideas goes on within the mind of the individual creator, through a process of testing them against relevant criteria for novelty. Once an idea has been selected by the creator, developed, and communicated, there is often a second selection process by relevant individuals in a social group or community. In Simontons view, creativity depends in large part on novelty, and because novelty is largely a function of cognitive variation, interacting with other individuals is likely to increase the probability of creativity. Creativity is a choice made by an individual to engage in producing novel ideas; the level of engagement can vary from situation to situation. In this thesis creativity is defined as thinking outside of general frames of reference that leads to generation of novel ideas, solution to problems, or innovations (Akin Akin, 1998). In order to create a new product, diverse ideas become available from past experiences. In this way, individuals enrich their own knowledge domain with other knowledgeable persons who help them to retrieve and apply knowledge components during idea generation (Taylor Greve, 2006). This means as a conclusion that individual creativity and the ability to deliver innovations depend on interactions in social systems (Amabile, 1996). Relevant ideas can be generated through communication and through the retrieval information from external sources. External knowledge and the interpretation of the environment can be such sources. 2.1 Transactive memory system creativity Creativity does not just play a role in arts, invention and innovation; it also is a part of our everyday life (Runco, 2004). He defines creative thinking in terms of cognitive processes that lead to an original and adaptive insight, idea or solution. What is unique about this definition is the reliance on cognitive processes. This definition assumes that all creative work requires some cognition and that everything we do requires information processing. Creative ideas generated from ones cognitive processes are influenced by the individuals personal experiences. A combination of individual and others knowledge is an ideal means to obtain information and be creative. Strategic management researchers have proposed a knowledge processing view of the firm that emphasizes the importance of social interaction as the process through which knowledge is created and transferred in organizations (Kogut Zander, 1992; Nonaka, 1994). Nanaka Takeuchi (1995) argue that knowledge consists of tacit and explicit dimensions. Explicit knowledge is that which can be expressed in words and numbers. It is easily communicated and shared in the form of hard data, codified procedures or universal principles. In contrast, tacit knowledge is highly personal, difficult to formalize and consist of subjective insights; intuitions and hunches (Davenport Prusak, 1998; Alavi Leidner, 2001). These forms of knowledge are mutually dependent and have qualities that reinforce each other. It is via the process of continual interaction between tacit and explicit knowledge that new knowledge is created. Nonaka Toyama (2003) argue that knowledge creation starts with ‘socialization, which is the process of converting new tacit knowledge through shared experiences in day-to-day social interaction. A transactive memory system (TMS) has been defined as a combination of an individuals knowledge and a shared awareness of who knows what (Wegner, 1986). This represents a ‘divided up into portions type of knowledge sharing. TMS was initially proposed to explain the knowledge residing amongst intimate couples and family members when they are able to bring together disparate knowledge to solve a problem. This means even though the solution to any issue at hand may not be readily available, family members do know how to come together and develop a response. Wegner (1986) explains that members are able to benefit from each others knowledge and expertise if they develop a good, shared understanding of who knows what in the unit/group. TMS is built on the distinction between internal and external memory encoding. Often, individuals encode new (tacit) knowledge internally, in their own memory. However, even more often individuals encode or use knowledge encoded externally. According to Wegner (1986) a TMS can be explained as a set of individual memory systems in combination with the communication that takes place between individuals. He argues that an individuals memory system becomes connected with those of other individuals involving three stages: Directory updating. Directory updating or expertise recognition is the process by which team members learn which topics others know without learning the actual information within each topic. Furthermore, members come to understand their own areas of expertise within the team Communication to allocate information. Communication to allocate information is characterized by a team member using his or her directory of expertise to forward new information outside of his or her domain(s) of expertise (Anand et al 1998). Communication to retrieve information. Although it is important to possess relevant knowledge, the knowledge must also be utilized to be successful. Communication to retrieve information is the process by which individuals seek specialized information from the teams domain expert to help in task completion when their personal knowledge bases are insufficient. A transactive memory system will be most effective when knowledge assignments are based on the members actual ability, when there is a shared understanding between the members and when members fulfill expectations (Brandon Hollingshead, 2004). This research focuses on the process to retrieve information for it is in the retrieval process where usefulness and efficiency of a TMS can be achieved (Wegner et al 1985). This retrieval process could result in the creation of new knowledge. The creation of new knowledge leads us to creativity. Creativity could be seen as a mental event by which an actor intentionally goes beyond his or her previous experiences in order to gain novel and appropriate outcomes; the TMS can help individuals to achieve these outcomes (Pandza Thorpe, 2009). Transactive retrieval requires determining the location of information and sometimes entails the combination or interplay of items coming from multiple locations. This process begins when the person who holds an item internally is not the one who is asked to retrieve it. In transactive memory this can occur when individuals respond to a particular information label and one group member retrieves one item whereas a second member retrieves something quite different. In their discussion it could be determined that two items add up to yet a third idea. These so-called external components of information are not personally known but can be retrieved when required (Anand et al, 1998). If we ask a question to a person who is a well-integrated part of a transactive memory network, this person is often able to answer (after consulting with other network members, of course) with information well beyond his or her internal storage. When team members correctly identify the experts and delegate ta sks based on an individual members expertise, they perform better (Hollingshead, 2000). Brandon and Hollingshead (2004) argue that representation of tasks is critical to the structure of the TMS; the features of tasks are embedded in the transactive memory process. In this way, team performance in terms of creativity may depend on whether the group can correctly recognize and utilize the knowledge of its members (Brandon Hollingshead, 2004). The interaction of different perspectives enabled by a TMS is a large contributor to the discovery of insight and the creation of knowledge (Jehn et al, 1999; Nonaka Takeuchi, 1995; Nonaka Toyama, 2001). As individuals will retrieve relevant information via a TMS, it is probable designers will discover new knowledge and improve creativity. Thus, the following hypothesis is defined: H1: The usage of the retrieval function of the transactive memory system is likely to contribute to creativity 2.2 Interpretation and creating As mentioned in the previous paragraph, creativity is concerned with generating novel outcomes (Pandza Thorpe, 2009). Creativity is defined as the production of novel ideas that are useful and appropriate to a given situation (Amabile, 1983). Cognitive styles are recognized as core characteristics of individual creativity. Cognitive style is a persons preferred way of gathering, processing and evaluating information. It influences how people scan their environment for information, how they organize and interpret this information and how they integrate their interpretations that guide their actions (Amabile, 1988; Woodman et al., 1993). According to Miliken (1990), action involves a response based on scanning and interpretation of information. Choo (1996) argues that the principal information process is the interpretation of news and messages about the environment. Individuals must determine what information is significant and should be attended to. Interpretation involves the development of ways of comprehending information; the fitting of information into some structure for understanding action (Thomas et al, 1993). Interpretation of the environment also requires identifying threats and opportunities (Miliken, 1990); which requires designers to assess the meaning and significance of each trend, change and event they noticed during the scanning phase. During this phase information is gathered. If one has access to more information, it is also important to select information that is useful to interpret issues (Thomas et al, 1993). Another purpose of scanning is identifying the key trends, changes and events in an environment that might affect performance (Miliken, 1990). Monitoring and analyzing the environment enhances the ability to enter new knowledge domains. Information about the environment can be gathered through different channels, such as personal relationships with peers (Danneels, 2008). Daft and Lengel (1986) explain that the interpretation of the environment is the source of information processing. Cohen and Levinthal (1990) argue that the ability to recognize the value of new information using prior knowledge is critical to innovative capabilities. This phenomenon, called absorptive capacity is used to give rise to creativity; using prior knowledge to assimilate and use new knowledge. An amount of absorptive capacity is needed to increase both the ability to acquire new knowledge and the ability to retrieve and use it (Cohen Levinthal, 1990). As mentioned in the previous paragraph, the retrieving function of the transactive memory system could be used to acquire new data, which is combined with the creation of new interpretations about the environment, which in turn can reduce the uncertainty about the environment. Taking the importance of the ability to interact in different contexts, scanning the environment could put some people in more advantageous positions than others to be creative. Some persons are considered to have contacts with individuals in other fields of expertise who may possess or develop knowledge that can have an impact on their current work. Creative individuals who interact with other designers and are aware of trends could be considered to achieve more creative ideas. Individuals can scan the environment and benefit from this novel information flow. TMS can increase this learning process and can act as an interactive mechanism (Austin, 2003). A certain amount of absorptive capacity and environmental scanning could affect the relationship between the retrieval function of the TMS and creativity. Therefore the following hypotheses are defined: H2: high levels of absorptive capacity will moderate the relationship between the retrieval function of the TMS and creativity, such that retrieval is more likely to have a positive relationship with creativity H3: environmental scanning will moderate the relationship between the retrieval function of the TMS and creativity, such that retrieval is more likely to have a positive relationship with creativity 2.3 Boundary objects Interacting to develop a shared understanding can be done using language and other symbols. Individuals articulate what they intuitively know through dialogue and discourse (Choo, 1996). Texts are a variety of forms including written documents, verbal reports, art work, spoken words, pictures, symbols, buildings and other artifacts (Philip et al, 2004). Carlile (2002) define these objects as ‘boundary objects. The notion of boundary objects was first introduced by Star and Griesemer (1989), who described the attributes of boundary objects that enable them to serve as translation devices; they have different meanings in different social worlds but their structure is common enough to more than one world to make them recognizable and function as a means of translation. Boundary objects can adapt to different context simultaneously while maintaining a common identity across all context, allowing each group to decontextualize its knowledge for use in common space and recontextualize it for use in its own practice (Bowker and Star, 1999). Boundary objects are enabled via in going transactions but also enable interaction. Carlile (2002) distinguishes among different types of boundaries- syntactic, semantic and pragmatic- that require different types of boundary objects: Repositories supply a common reference point of data, measures or labels across functions that provide shared definitions and values for solving problems. This object establishes a shared syntax or language for individuals to represent their knowledge. Standardized forms and methods provide a shared format for solving problems across different functional settings. These objects provide a concrete means for individuals to specify and learn about their differences and dependencies across a given boundary. Objects, models and maps are simple but complex representations that can be observed and then used across different functional settings. These objects facilitate a process where individuals can jointly transform their knowledge. A syntactical approach is based on the existence of a shared and sufficient syntax at a given boundary. A common syntax or language is shared between the ‘sender and receiver. Integrating devices are processing tools (repositories) and integration is accomplished through processing information. When novelty arises, the sufficiency of the syntax is in question and another boundary is faced. A semantic approach recognizes that there are always differences in kind and the emergence of novelty is a natural outcome in settings where innovation is required. Integrating devices are seen as processes or methods for translating and learning about differences at a boundary, but when negative consequences are faced, another boundary arises. A pragmatic approach recognizes that knowledge is localized, embedded and invested in practice. This view highlights the negative consequences that can arise given the differences at a boundary. Integrating devices (objects, models and maps) are used to create new knowledge. Sketches can be seen as a pragmatic boundary object during idea generation. In order to move beyond a knowledge barrier, designers can use sketches to communicate and explain their ideas to others. Individuals must be able to alter the content of a boundary object to apply what they know (Carlile, 2002). As novelty of the situation increases, this study argues that designers, who face more pragmatic boundaries, will need boundary objects to see consequences of social interactions with others. In the engineering industry, all the information is expresses in a common framework using 3-D design so that everyone concerned with the project can quickly respond to each other (Baba Nobeoka, 1998). Visual tools, such as sketches, facilitate the processing of novel information and may lead to a faster understanding (Feiereisen et al, 2008). Thus the following hypothesis is developed: H4: the usage of pragmatic boundary objects will moderate the relationship between the retrieval function of the TMS and creativity, such that retrieval is more likely to have a positive relationship with creativity 2.4 Knowledge through ‘ba Information becomes knowledge if it is given meaning through interpretation and interaction. Knowledge exchange cannot simply be a matter of transferring it across groups engaged in different practices; knowledge must be transformed through decontextualization and recontextualization (Spender, 1996) Tsoukas (2002) argues that these mechanisms to interact can be used to predict and guide behavior. These tools can enable a skilled user to get things done and need to become instruments through which we act- of which we are subsidiarily aware- not objects of attention. Objects can be used to ease the transfer of tacit knowledge, since this knowledge is not visible. Tacit knowledge is highly personal and hard to formalize, making it difficult to communicate or share with others. Whereas explicit knowledge can be expressed in words and numbers and shared in the form of data (Nonaka et al, 2000). The most explicit kind of knowledge is underlain by tacit knowledge (Tsoukas, 2002). Although the tacit knowledge of each individual is personal and unique, it can be absorbed by others through social relationships and collaboration (Mascitelli, 2000). Nonaka (1994) introduced the concept of ‘ba to be specific to knowledge creation in order to include these concept-specific items. According to him, ‘ba can be thought of as a shared space for emerging relationships. This space can be physical (e.g an office), virtual (email, teleconference), mental (shared experiences, ideas) or any combination of them. What differentiates ‘ba from ordinary human interaction is the concept of knowledge creation. According to Nonaka et al (2000), ‘ba provides a platform for advancing individual and collective knowledge. Knowledge is embedded in ‘ba where it is then acquired through ones own experience or reflections on the experience of others (Nonaka et al. 2000). An environment is created, whether physical or virtual, that lends itself to the creation and sharing of knowledge. It can emerge in individuals as well as in teams and is an existential place where participants share their contexts and create new meanings thr ough interactions (Nonaka Toyama, 2003). Participants of ba bring in their own contexts and through interactions with others and the environment, the contexts of ‘ba, participants and the environment, change. A good ‘ba needs participants with multiple contexts and yet a shared context is necessary for a ‘ba to exist (Nonaka et al, 2000). It sets a boundary for interactions among individuals and yet the boundary is open. It is not bound to a certain space or time (Nonaka and Toyama, 2003). When participating in a ‘ba, it is important that these individuals share time and space through their direct experience. As mentioned before a good ‘ba can provide a platform for advancing individual and/or collective knowledge ( Nonaka et al, 2000). A TMS can be seen as a combination of knowledge possessed by individuals and focuses on the utilization of expertise (Hollingshead, 2000; Lewis, 2003; Wegner, 1986). This expertise could be gathered by the retrieval function of the TMS, creating a ‘ba, where during interaction, new insights and new knowledge can be developed and in turn, could enhance creativity. An originationg ‘ba, a dialoguing ‘ba, a systemizing ‘ba and an exercising ‘ba support a particular knowledge conversion process and there by ‘ba speeds up the process of knowledge creation: 2.4.1 Originating ‘ba An originating ‘ba takes place in a world where individuals share feelings, emotions, experiences and mental models. An individual sympathizes or further empathizes with others, removing the barriers between the self and others. It is the primary ‘ba from which the knowledge creation process begins

Catherine A. Lutz - Unnatural Emotions Essays -- essays research paper

†Yes, it’s only Reservation Blues but I like it:† On the Connection between Christian and Native Religions One of the most interesting aspects of the anthropological study of Catherine A. Lutz, entitled Unnatural Emotions, is that the author applies the same sort of intense self-examination to her own project as an anthropologist amongst the Ifaluk as she does to the Ifaluk themselves. Every individual at some point in his or her own life has been confronted with the surprise, after all, that someone seems ‘exactly like me.’ Or, conversely, one is shocked how another human animal, possessing roughly the same physical attributes of one’s genus and species as one’s self, could behave in such a horrible/wonderful fashion, totally ‘unlike me.’ Catherine Lutz suggests that these latter moments come, not so often when an individual is the presence of someone he or she regards as wholly alien, but when an individual is in the presence of someone he or she has come to regard as familiar, who suddenly surprises him or her. Lutz did not experience her own internal surprises, more often than not, when she was beginning to be acclimated to Ifaluk culture—everything seemed strange to her anthropological eyes, over the course of her initial encounters. However, after she began to think that these people were more like her than she initially though, in other words, when she began to think that she could predict their responses to a certain extent, based upon her preexisting cultural assumptions and modalities, then she when she was taken by surprise at their differences. A reader of Sherman Alexie’s novel Reservation Blues enters the text with similar assumptions of Native American life, unless of course, he or she is of that particular community. If he or she is not, however, there is the likelihood that the ‘typical’ reader has images of Native Americans based upon long-held social stereotypes of the Lone Ranger’s Tonto and Kevin Costner’s â€Å"Dances With Wolves,† possibly chastened with some positive, homey images of the First Thanksgiving as well. However, Alexie’s prose forces one to apprehend Native American life anew, and to see Native Americans as fully-fledged individual characters, with wants and needs and desires, not as those who are simply stoic and ‘other.’ In short, Alexie forces the reader to see Native Americans as rock-and-roll wannabees. What could be ea... ...ith how actual Native Americans experience their (often quite collectively, tribally based) religion at all. At virtually every supermarket across the nation, one can buy ‘Native’ dream catchers, or false, commercialized views of Native spirituality that attempt to offer a respite from supposedly sterile Christianity. The connections of rock and roll to this view in popular culture is exemplified in â€Å"The Doors† where rock music legend Jim Morrison takes a hit of acid under the supervision of a wise man—the acid and the Indian culture ‘free his mind.’ But the spiritual collectivity that Natives associate with their religion does not free them, nor is the Christianity experienced on Native American reservations synonymous with ‘our’ versions of it, outside of the reservation. In unpacking these assumptions, the reader is forced to emerge from the text not simply with a better understanding of Checkers, but with a better understanding of the flexibility of faith and its adaptability to personal as well as community needs in various contexts. Works Cited Alexie, Sherman. Reservation Blues. Warner Books, 1996. Lutz, Catherine A. Unnatural Emotions. University of Chicago Press, 1998.

Behavioral trend- Adolescent rebellion

Throughout generations, adolescent behavioral trend has been a matter of concern for families and schools. Their rebellious attitude has drawn attention of many psychologists. Usual defiance includes mood swings, disobedience, anger, criticism, disagreement, and harmful habits like smoking, drugs.Socioeconomic status of the youth is a major factor. The urge to be accepted by their peers, leads to comparison for equality. Peer pressure is perhaps the most vital and unavoidable element in adolescence. Columbia University Teachers Suniya S. Luthar and Nadia S.Ansary wrote following: In a comparative study of middle school students at the two socioeconomic extremes, Becker and Luther (2004) found that â€Å"good students† enjoyed high peer status in both suburban and urban settings; by contrast, it was only the high income youth who admired peers seen as â€Å"bad students†. Society which does not view teenagers as adults restricts their freedom, believing it to be in their best interest. Parents often believe that adolescents cannot make good decisions. This restriction of freedom leads to rebellious behavior.However, â€Å"a Cornwell study from 2006 determined that teens are more likely to consider risk while making a decision, and for a longer period of time, than adults† (Cornell University, 2006, December 12). Psychologist Laurence Steinberg says that a large factor in teenage rebellion is the natural early development of the socioemotional network. (Cited in Temple University, 2007) References Luthar,S. S. & Ansary,N. S. (2005).Dimensions of adolescent rebellion. Development and Psychopathology, 10, 231-243. Steinberg,S (2007). Teenage rebellion and the socioemotional network. Science Daily. Retreived April 6, 2010 from www. sciencedaily. com

Are Viruss Alive Essay

Are Viruss Alive Essay Are Viruss Alive? Essay Kaylee Drew December 3, 2013 A Block From the various facts including the reproduction and growth status of the organisms and proven statistics I believe that viruses are indeed alive. Science proves that the bacteria in viruses have the same characteristics that a living organism does. Viruses are the most efficient entities on this planet to circulate and breed genetic material. They can multiply in mass numbers within minutes, and cause destruction throughout the world. Viruses carry genes, DNA, RNA and have protein material. These are some basic elements that living organisms like virus’s carry. In addition one of the last things that make a virus a living structure is its ability to infect any eukaryotic celled species such as humans or animals. Only a living thing can infect others and carry contagious illnesses. Therefore the given physiognomies proves the life of a virus. A virus can reproduce in hundreds within hours. For a virus to multiply it goes through a never ending cycle. First the virus attaches to the cell becoming one with the host,the virus than injects its DNA into a cell, the viruses DNA uses the cells organelles to grow and to destroy the cell, lastly the virus break out the dead cell. For the virus to multiply it must first attack itself to a host cell. The main entity is that the virus lives, breeds, and feeds off of its host. They depend on the host cell to reproduce as it says in the article â€Å"Introduction to the viruses† by C. Emilliani, it says that when a virus comes into contact with a host that it inserts it genetic material into giving it the ability to spread and reproduce. Reproduction of a virus can be bad news. It takes days or hours for a virus to spread through contact. Many virus’s have wiped out and killed thousands of people; such as â€Å"Bubonic Plague† and â€Å"Spanish Flu†. Some virus’s such as these, have destroyed families and left victims dead and in suffering. Thankfully, modern science ha s allowed us to prevent and treat many serious cases of virus’s, so many lives can be saved. For an organism to be considered â€Å"living† it must carry genetic material such as DNA/RNA virus do carry DNA and RNA. Though some material from a virus is engineered most is natural. Also, virus’s hold organelles such as mitochondria, ribosomes, DNA, and proteins. These are the elements that prove that viruses are alive, even though many eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells carry same organelles. They help a cell function and carry out its basic needs for survival. Although some might believe that viruses are complex biochemical mechanisms, others believe they are simple organisms from nature. Viruses go through different phases of life to benefit their life span, and reproduction quantity. Causing them to grow, change, adapt, and expand to benefit themselves.But virus’s make it to their main goal to infect a host. With all the evidence and organelles a virus b etrays, it surely is a flourishing entity. The main purpose in a virus’s life is to infect and grow in a host. Viruses are known for their negative, fatal, and disapproving effect they have on humans and animals. Viruses can only contaminate eukaryotic celled species or

The eNotes Blog Owl Eyes Annotated Texts A Great Resource to Add to Your Teacher Toolbox ÂÂ

Owl Eyes Annotated Texts A Great Resource to Add to Your Teacher Toolbox  Ã‚   The beginning of a new season  is always a good time to consider new ways to engage students in the classroom. One way to do it- only a few keyboard clicks away- is to incorporate Owl Eyes annotated texts into lesson plans and instruction. In case you’re unfamiliar with using the annotated texts at Owl Eyes, here are a few things to know to get started. First of all, they’re free, and they’re comprehensive! At Owl Eyes you will find hundreds of poems, short stories, novels, and essays to which instructional annotations have been added throughout the texts- and hundreds of additional annotated works are on the way. In the annotated texts, individual words and specific passages are highlighted. Clicking on a highlighted word or passage displays an annotation that enhances reading comprehension and understanding of the text: Some annotations define vocabulary words. Some provide information about the author or place the text in a literary context. Some explain allusions, clarify language, or interpret passages for implied meaning. Some feature reading-check quiz questions and answers. The annotated texts can be used in a variety of ways to accomplish different purposes in the classroom. For instance, they’re a great resource to use in planning lessons: Reading the annotations provides a quick review of the content of the text. Annotations draw attention to important points to include in instruction and class discussion. Vocabulary lists can be constructed from the specific words in the text that are highlighted and defined in annotations. Quiz questions and answers found in the annotations can be used in assessment. If you have the technology to incorporate the annotated texts into classroom activities, the texts become useful in even more ways as students read on their own. Because the texts are interactive, students  become engaged in their own learning as they move through a reading selection and click on the highlights to access the annotations: Unfamiliar vocab words are defined for them immediately, increasing their reading comprehension. Answers to  reading-check quiz questions provide  immediate feedback. Allusions, figures of speech, and contextual references are explained and clarified. Interpretations of various passages can prompt critical thinking and inquiry. Having students work directly with the annotated texts makes it possible to use them  in reteaching, enrichment, differentiation, independent study, and class review. They are helpful in modifying instruction as needed; making individual reading assignments from the texts allows students to read and work at their own pace. Also, many of the annotated texts feature supplementary instructional resources, such as  Notes and Reading Pointers for Sharper Insight. It’s traditional with the arrival of the new year to say, â€Å"Out with the old, and in with the new!† That’s good advice when it comes to bad habits, but to jettison tried-and-true teaching strategies because they are â€Å"old† makes no sense at all. What does make sense is using new resources in implementing new strategies to reach students more effectively. In fact, it makes perfect sense when you remember what a monumental job it is to educate kids! This year as you consider new ways to enhance instruction and learning in your classroom, check out the annotated texts at Owl Eyes. They’re great resources to add to your toolbox and use in many different ways to get  the job done. This is a post from Staff Writer, Susan Hurn. Susan is a former high school English teacher and college instructor. She loves writing for and also enjoys good books, creative writing, and all things related to history.  Let us know if you’re interested in  contributing to the   blog.

Employment Communication Portfolio Research Paper

Employment Communication Portfolio - Research Paper Example Highly experienced in giving guidance, motivation, and an up-to-date consultancy services to both clients and colleagues. Responsible for defining, documenting and collating functional scope. I was also involved in technical analysis, and problem solving as well as identifying, analyzing, tracking and managing clients and application data flow issue throughout the software system. Established both high and low level IP designs for EVDO, GPRS, MSS, value added services, charging system, IP radio access network for operators in Australia, Europe, North America and Africa, which include IP nodes such as SmartEdge and Juniper M-series routers, Juniper firewalls, and Cisco switches. Infrastructure team member responsible for developing and maintaining HP and Dell Servers or site, as well as troubleshooting and diagnosing software and hardware problems including LAN, WAN and remote systems. This application is in reference to your advert on the website mycareer.com.au for the vacancy of a Network Solution Architect. I am a highly organized, thorough and motivated professional, with more than 7-years of progressive experience in software development, monitoring architecture solutions for medium sized businesses and large companies. At present, I am working with Acer Computer Australia, based in Sidney, a well recognized and leading technology firms in Australia. Throughout my information technology project management experience both as a developer and architecture, I have been challenged on several occasions to establish creative architecture so as to turn needs into specific solutions. I am an individual who at all time endeavor to strike the balance between stylish design and practical simplicity in order to maintain consistency between structural elements. My most outstanding strength is my ability to approach solutions from a

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 35

Marketing - Essay Example First, the strengths of the company must be identified. One of its strength is that it has been in the sausage business for 70 years. It is known for its company’s heritage and there is brand recognition already. Another strength of Saxonville is the nationwide distribution of its products, particularly its brats and breakfast sausage, through their national and regional brokers and their distributors. Aside from the company’s good reputation, the Vivio brand is considered to be of exceptional quality with great taste and texture. In terms of weakness, although Saxonville has nationwide distribution, it has very little distribution in stores in the Northeastern markets. Another drawback with the Vivio sausage is the customer’s perception that it may not be a good quality Italian sausage, since its manufacturer is of â€Å"German heritage†. It could be noted also that Saxonville does not spend much on advertising and market research which are very important for the success of a product. The packaging of the product needs a lot of improvement too. In terms of pricing, a weakness of the company is that management does not allow a decrease in Vivio’s price so it is unable to compete with other brands in terms of pricing. The Italian sausage market is a category which has shown an increasing growth rate. This is an opportunity for Saxonville to focus their efforts at further enhancing their Italian sausage line. An opportunity exists for Vivio because currently there is no national player for fresh Italian sausage. A major threat is that there are 29 local and regional brands of Italian sausage. Furthermore, some consumers prefer to purchase sausages which are â€Å"home-grown†, meaning produced in their own locality. The objective of Saxonville is to be able to launch a national Italian sausage brand which will help them achieve their profit objectives for the next fiscal year. The company wants that their Italian sausage be a