The results of technological innovation

The results of technological innovation Executive Summary: The purpose of writing this report was to examine the results of technological innovation in an organization. The major findings in this report indicate that technological innovation is necessary in every organization for the betterment of the same itself. Here in this report the study has been made on the Barclays Banks PINsentry device. Nevertheless the complete research is on this particular innovation of the bank. But there is some discussion about the technological innovations and its advantages and disadvantages in the former part of the report to clear the concept of technological innovation to every individual reader. Later as the report progresses towards the body there lies a short discussion about the role of manager in an organization towards the technological innovation. And just following to this there is a short description about banking industry, as it is the indirect base of the report and the topic. Later on we can see a discussion about the technological innovation of Barclays Bank i.e. the PINsentry device. Continuation to the PINsentry, there are the advantages and disadvantages of this new invention. And in the ending part of the report there is a spotlight show on the benefits which the Barclays Bank got due to the innovation. As problems are part of every innovation, so does the PINsentry device had, which are mentioned just followed to the benefits. As we proceed to the end of the report there lays the conclusion about the report. And in the end lays the bibliography about the sources of the complete report. Introduction: In this present fast and rapid changing world it is necessary for every organization to come up with innovation. Whether it is an innovation in organization culture or it is in the field of technology, it is necessary to keep innovating new ideas and technologies in order to survive. A technological innovation takes place when there is a need of a new product as per the requirement of the specified market. A technological innovation heralds the organization and helps it enhance efficiently. What is technological innovation? Any improvement in present technology or an invention of any new technology is called technological innovation. Technology is an instrument provided by science which enormously enhances it powers, as Albert Einstein did with his innovations. An innovation is a tool with which technology flourishes. Basically both innovation and technology are complementary to each other. Advantages and disadvantages: The world today has changed a lot with the aid of technology. Those things which were once done manually have not turn computerized. Almost everything is a click ahead. Every innovation has advantages as well as disadvantages. But on most of the cases advantages covers the part of disadvantages. Technological innovation also has some advantages and disadvantages too. Few of them are mentioned below: Advantages: Globalization: New technologies have bind world very close. The businesses have come under one system i.e. online to a greater extent. The linguistic and geographical boundaries have been removed by means of innovative technologies. Cost effectiveness: Since the business has become online the costs for running a business have been reduced to a large extent for many organizations. The machines have replaced human. Communication: With the advent of new technologies communication has become very easy, fast and cheap. E.g. -Mobile, internet etc. 24/7: Organizations have switched to online business with the help of new technologies, hence globally. This feature has increased the flexibility of business and has helped to grow and earn faster. Job opportunities: With the evolution of new technologies the scope of employment has also raised. Every new technology requires specialized skilled person to work on them. Disadvantages: Scope of unemployment: With the innovation of new technologies, the business has become more streamlined which has led to job reduction of staff, downsizing of organizations and outsourcing in other countries. This has created unemployment at lower and middle level of many organizations. Dominant culture: Since the world has become a global village, the culture is being dominated by the strong one. For example,>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.> Lack of security: As the technologies have made communication easier and faster but the level of security has been endangered too. Examples email hacking, Role of manager to support innovative technology: Every industry comprises of many competitors. So it is the key responsibility of the manager to support the new technology in order to make it efficient and effective. Everything to support the innovation is to be done by the manager itself. The role of manager in support of innovation is as follows: Mentor: One of the key roles of the manager for the organization is to act as a mentor. As the word mentor itself suggests about the duty of manager. The manager has to adopt every individual idea about the new innovation and have to make sure that the organization achieves its complete goal through full potentials. Identifying strengths and weakness: Again the manager has to sort out the strengths and weakness of the new technology brought in an organization. By capitalizing on strengths the manager has to flourish the new technology and then put a check on weakness and eliminate it for making the innovation successful. Right timing: A right vision about when the innovation should be brought into the market to attain best results is of utmost importance. Because that only will decide the success or failure of new innovation. Reviewing concepts: Reviewing the concepts about the new technology and the figure out how it relates to the organization culture and working and how it can enhance the organizations efforts in the field of new technology. The Banking Industry: The Banking industry is one the most simple and reliable business which takes deposits from the customers at a lower rate of interests and lends them into the market at a higher rate of interest. The technology played a great role in the development of banking industry. With the help of new technologies the banking industry has transformed from being manual to automatic or computerized systems. Banks have now become global. Due to the innovation in technology banking services became available 24 hours every day for the whole year comprising of 365 days. The banking industry regularly comes up with new innovative technologies in order to make banking more easy, convenient, safe and faster. It is due to the help of new and improved technologies that the business is carried on globally with the help of banking industry. Earlier a person had to wait for days and months to make a transaction in other country. But now with these new technologies it is very simple and fast to make a transac tion in any part of world in a fraction of second. Let us cite an example of a particular bank, in order to explain the innovative technology in the banking industry. And what effects and changes it brought to the industry with its new innovative product or services. The bank which we are taking into example to explain the innovative technology and its effect on the organization is the Barclays Bank. Barclays Bank: It is a British financial service being operated worldwide in different countries. According to Forbes Global 2000, Barclays is the 25th largest company in the world. And it is one of the major banks in the UK. The bank has got two major clusters; Global retail banking and corporate and investment and wealth management. Though Barclays have many other constituents as well like Barclays private equity, Barclays Cards etc. Being such a big organization, it has to keep innovating new technologies to become unique in the market. Though there were many innovative systems being introduced by Barclays in recent years. But the most remarkable and latest is the PINsentry, a device/system which regulates online banking and keeps the interest of its customers secured and safe from frauds. Barclayss PINsentry: PINsentry is a device developed by the Barclays Bank in order to prevent fraudulent in online banking. The device is a two factor authentication security system. The PINsentry device has a small LCD, 4 main buttons and a number pad. Barclayss online banking has always been highly secured but the invention and introduction of PINsentry has added up an additional level of security. The use of this system is very easy and quick. The PINsentry is a type of card reader which generates codes for login which are based on the last four digits of your customers card. Every time when one has to login, it generates a new code. All a person needs to do is insert the card in the device and enter the secret pin number on its number pads to generate a new code. Basically the PINsentry i.e. the card reader reads the card details and generates a new code accordingly for login. It then generates an eight digit code for using online banking. The PINsentry device needs to follow certain steps in order to get started and use it every time. All you have to do is get the Barclays card, PINsentry device and 12 digit online banking membership number. After having these entire things, a customer has to get registered online for PINsentry. And it is ready to use. Advantages of PINsentry: The PINsentry added a numerous numbers of advantages to the customers of Barclays. Some of them are mentioned as below: Easy and quick in use. Safe and secured online banking. Hassel free service. Additional level of security with no frauds. Privacy of customers. Smart technology in modern times. Disadvantages of PINsentry: Though every technology has advantages but it always have some set back too. They are as follows: Inconvenient to carry device everywhere. After every 90 seconds the device turns off. Problems in using overseas. Time consuming process. The card gets locked if incorrect pin is entered thrice. These were the advantages and disadvantages of PINsentry of Barclays. Irrespective the disadvantages, the new technology have been liked by the customers and have been accepted widely all over. The Barclays says that till date there has been no frauds occurred with usage of PINsentry. The bank gained distinct recognition in the industry with the introduction of this technology. Benifits to Barclays: A distinct recognition was achieved by Barclays in the industry with PINsentry. A combat in frauds made common people have more faith in Barclays. A growth in customer is achieved because of new technology. Increased market goodwill. Online usage growth. Wide acceptance by customers. Problems faced by Barclays: Irrespective of having so many benefits, Barclays faced many problems too with PINsentry. Problems with the device were found with many customers. It became difficult for them to access online banking. The device was not accepted in every country. So it was difficult when customer were overseas. The PINsentry implemented security on own banking, but it is the same like a normal card when used on other sites. Safety only for debit card users. Inconvenience faced by customers forced them to switch over to other banks. Though the device faced complication and few problems but it is still in use and people find it worth and good are still accepting it. The Barclays also took certain measures to overcome these problems and on the major front the benefits of PINsentry cannot be overlooked. Conclusion: It is worth to mention that PINsentry by Barclays brought a new technology in banking industry. And it is worth appreciating. Everything coin has two sides, like wise every innovation has both advantages and disadvantages too. Though it can be said PINsentry had quite a few negative remarks, but the positive remarks are far important and appreciable which cannot be overlook. So personally I would say that the PINsentry device has a greater importance for online banking even if it adds an extra step to access but it is all for self security. And as far as we all know, everybody in this world could spare a few minutes for their own security rather than being unsecured even when you have the technology. Bibliography: C. J. Touhill, Gregory J. Touhill, Thomas A. ORiordan (2008), Commercialization of innovative technology, John Wiley Sons Inc., New Jersey, Ch. .16, 17. John Howell (2005), The management of innovation and technology, Sage Publications, Cornwall, Ch- 1. http://www.eoearth.org/article/Technological_innovation http://www.slideshare.net/jamilkhatib/technology-and-innovation-management-1186056

Multiple Sclerosis Essay -- essays research papers

Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a disease of the central nervous system. The central nervous system is made up of the brain and spinal cord. Both have nerve fibers that are wrapped in a myelin sheath. In MS, the myelin sheath becomes inflamed and gradually is destroyed. With the destruction of the myelin sheath comes an array of symptoms that may include numbness or tingling, balance problems, weakness, muscle spasms, and blurred vision.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anyone can develop MS, but many patients share the following characteristics. The majority experiences their first symptoms between ages 20 and 40. Caucasians are more than twice as likely as other races to develop MS. MS is two to three times more common in women as in men. MS is five times more common in temperate climates like those of the northern US, Canada, and Europe. And people whose close relatives have MS are more susceptible to developing the disease, but there is no evidence the disease is directly inherited.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  No single test detects MS, which makes it difficult to diagnose. Symptoms can mimic those of a number of other conditions and they can change depending on the area of the central nervous system that loses myelin. Some symptoms of MS are numbness or tingling in parts of the body, usually an arm or leg, unexplained weakness, dizziness, and fatigue, and blurry vision, double vision or blindness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To diagnose the disease, healthcare providers...

Jeff Bezos, Amazon.Com’s Founder

In your opnion, what makes a great leader? Is it a person who leads with upright priority for his staff, never misses a moment to communicate with his team and always values the advice of others? Or is it a sharp-witted leader who focuses on profitability, knows how to corporate and is brilliant in maintaining a good relationship with every business partner? The two mentioned stereotype seem consistent in the business world nowadays; however, the America’s best leader is neither of them. Jeff Bezos, founder of the Amazon. om, the leader who was named one of the best in America, is a man of surprise who fears no failure and remains stubborn with his goals regardless of all the critics and misunderstanding the world has given him. For all those reasons, our groups has chosen him as our favortie leader to present about today. Jeff owns many charateristics to be a great leader, most prominent among which is his ability to be longterm-oriented ; in other words, he is a visionary le ader. He did not mind the slow growth in the first 4 years of operation and quick-buck has never been one of his objectives.After 6 years of doing the business, the company finally made a profit and that was when Jeff Bezos said: â€Å"For the first four years of the company, we worked in relative obscurity. We always had lots of supporters and we always had lots of skeptics, and that's still the same today. It's just that the level of visibility is so much higher. If you look at the six years that we've been doing business, in exactly one of those six years we were not the underdog. † â€Å"Sometimes we measure things and see that in the short term they actually hurt sales, and we do it anyway. Jeff was well aware that every company requires a long-term view and if a leader is going to take a long-term orientation, he has to be willing to stay heads down and ignore a wide array of critics, even well-meaning critics. Coworkers and chroniclers characterize Bezos as a visionar y who on the surface is easygoing but keeps his employees on demanding schedules. He sets weekly management meetings with managers reporting on new products and pricing and taking on questions from the CEO.Bezos has promoted innovative efforts among his employees through the Just Do It program, which rewards those who come up with and execute ideas that help the company – without first obtaining permission from their bosses. He has a vision which he is able to explain to his employees through what he has done and that is what makes his employees look up to him and commit themselves to the company. Another trait that makes Jeff Bezos so good a leader is that he is a paradoxical mix of stubbornness and flexibility. He once said: â€Å"If you’re not stubborn, you’ll give up on experiments too soon.And if you’re not flexible, you’ll pound your head against the wall and you won’t see a different solution to a problem you’re trying to solv e. † Jeff Bezos learned the importance of being goal-oriented. He never gave up and was willing to try new things when the old things weren't working. He accepted his failures, and the failures of those working with him as lessons learned ( nhu bai hoc kinh nghiem) and moved on to the next strategy. Because of this determination to persevere and reach goals, people were willing to follow him and believe that he would keep working until he eventually achieved success.His flexibility reflects in the way he handles tough decisions. Normally with decisions he seems to be fact-based. Bezos will make an extraordinary effort to study the numbers rather than rely on his team's best instincts and judgments. However at other times, Bezos says, you can't solely rely on facts because it would be too hard to test an idea, or too costly, or you can't figure out how to do it. Jeff Bezos, Amazon. com's founder, is a study in contradictions — analytical and intuitive, careful and audaci ous, playful and determined.

How the Spanish Colonized Guatemala

The lands of present-day Guatemala were a special case for the Spanish who conquered and colonized them. Although there was no powerful central culture to contend with, such as the Incas in Peru or the Aztecs in Mexico, Guatemala was still home to the remnants of the Maya, a mighty civilization that had risen and fallen centuries before. These remnants fought hard to preserve their culture, forcing the Spanish to come up with new techniques of pacification and control. Guatemala Before the Conquest The Maya Civilization peaked around 800 and fell into decline shortly thereafter. It was a collection of powerful city-states who warred and traded with one another, and it stretched from Southern Mexico to Belize and Honduras. The Maya were builders, astronomers, and philosophers with a rich culture. By the time the Spanish arrived, however, the Maya had degenerated into a number of small fortified kingdoms, the strongest of which were the K’iche and Kaqchikel in Central Guatemala. The Conquest of the Maya The conquest of the Maya was led by Pedro de Alvarado, one of the top lieutenants of Hernà ¡n Cortà ©s, and a veteran of the conquest of Mexico. Alvarado led fewer than 500 Spanish and a number of native Mexican allies into the region. He made an ally of the Kaqchikel and warred upon the K’iche, whom he defeated in 1524. His abuses of the Kaqchikel caused them to turn on him, and he spent until 1527 stamping out various rebellions. With the two strongest kingdoms out of the way, the other, smaller ones were isolated and destroyed as well. The Verapaz Experiment One region still held out: the cloudy, misty, north-central highlands of modern-day Guatemala. In the early 1530s, Fray Bartolomà © de Las Casas, a Dominican friar, proposed an experiment: he would pacify the natives with Christianity, not violence. Along with two other friars, Las Casas set off and did, in fact, manage to bring Christianity to the region. The place became known as Verapaz, or â€Å"true peace,† a name it carries to this day. Unfortunately, once the region was brought under Spanish control, unscrupulous colonists raided it for slaves and land, undoing just about everything Las Casas had accomplished. The Viceroyalty Period Guatemala had bad luck with provincial capitals. The first, founded in the ruined city of Iximche, had to be abandoned due to persistent native uprisings, and the second, Santiago de los Caballeros, was destroyed by a mudslide. The present-day city of Antigua was then founded, but even it suffered major earthquakes late in the colonial period. The region of Guatemala was a large and important state under the control of the Viceroy of New Spain (Mexico) until the time of independence. Encomiendas Conquistadores and governmental officials and bureaucrats were often awarded encomiendas, large tracts of land complete with native towns and villages. The Spaniards theoretically were responsible for the religious education of the natives, who in return would work the land. In reality, the encomienda system became little more than an excuse for legalized slavery, as the natives were expected to work with little reward for their efforts. By the 17th century, the encomienda system was gone, but much damage had already been done. Native Culture After the conquest, the natives were expected to give up their culture to embrace Spanish rule and Christianity. Although the Inquisition was forbidden to burn native heretics at the stake, punishments could still be very severe. In Guatemala, however, many aspects of native religion survived by going underground, and today some natives practice an odd mishmash of Catholic and traditional faith. A good example is Maximà ³n, a native spirit that was sort of Christianized and is still around today. The Colonial World Today If you’re interested in the colonization of Guatemala, there are several places you might want to visit. The Mayan ruins of Iximchà © and Zaculeu are also sites of major sieges and battles during the conquest. The city of Antigua is steeped in history, and there are many cathedrals, convents and other buildings that have survived since colonial times. The towns of Todos Santos Cuchumatà ¡n and Chichicastenango are known for their blending of Christian and native religions in their churches. You can even visit Maximà ³n in various towns, mostly in the Lake Atitlà ¡n region. It is said that he looks with favor on offerings of cigars and alcohol!