technology brands

The advancement of new technology has been taking place since the beginning of human history. From the invention of items like the spear and knives made out of rocks and sticks to aid in the capturing and killing of animals for food, to items like the first printing press and the computer. The question: are the impacts positive or negative?

Technology is a word used to collectively describe or portray the advancements, abilities,creations, undertakings, views, and knowledge of a singular group of persons: we as human-kind. The advancement in technology has been exceptionally fast in the 20th and 21st century. With electronic technology and machines being produced and improved all the time, it was very likely that along with the positive aspects of these new advancements, people would also consider the negative aspects and look to criticize new technology.

A Positive Side

As the old age states “NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION” i.e. necessities tend to spawn inventions and each invention is annexed with the need of betterment and transmogrification. Newer and newer advances are happening by the day. Technological change is in large part responsible for many of the secular trends in such basic parameters of the human condition as the size of the world population, life expectancy, education levels, material standards of living,and the nature of work, communication, health care, war, and the effects of human activities on the natural environment.

Other aspects of society and our individual lives are also influenced by technology in many direct and indirect ways, including governance,entertainment, human relationships, and our views on morality, mind, matter, and our own human nature. Needless to add that these advancements also invigorate economic development as the effective use of technology reduces the material production cost and the overhead charges which generate savings in the economy and thus lead to national development.

And the Negative Side

Problems and potentials often go hand in hand; Society has become more and more dependent on technology. So much so that we sometimes lack the willingness to think before we act. We become impatient if it takes more than a few seconds to download a copy of the morning news paper. We expect immediate responses to our email, and we expect someone to answer their cell phone whenever and wherever we call.

Technology is making us so bust that we can can’t even find time to spend with our closed one’s. it would be surprising to know that people are in contact through chat and online messaging though they are in same city because they think its more faster and effective but they are forgetting that meeting personally can never replace online chatting.

“technology in sum, is both friend and enemy”

Neil Postman, author of the book called Technopoly, writes that ‘technology in sum, is both friend and enemy’. He can see the benefits and how technology can be seen as a friend to humanity that ‘it makes life easier, cleaner and longer’. He can accept it does humanity good. It’s almost a positive claim based on technology like medical advancements such as x-ray devices and medical drugs that help to lengthen life and help humanity. This is a very positive aspect of the advancement because we can improve health and lengthen our lives. But these medical advancements are mainly produced by companies, who then choose to monetize the advancement. Moral responsibility is weakened by this greed for money; they have lost the objective in saving lives or making people healthy again. They are only creating advancements in technology in order to make a lot of money.

Neil Postman also sees technology as undermining human processes as well. That technology creates ‘a culture without moral foundation’ and undermines social relations between humans. This can currently be seen with the argument over social networking sites on the internet. It was created for people to communicate and network, yet some people use it as their only form of communication with other people. This doesn’t necessarily help their social skills in the real and outside world away from the internet. People can become addicted and reliant on this technology and use it as their main form for creating social relations. It makes things like understanding facial expressions and body language hard to grasp.

Conclusion

If technological advancements are put in the best uses, it further inspires the development in related and non-related areas but at the same time its negative use can create havoc in the humanity or the world. Technology has, and will, change the moral fabric of humanity; it is up to the present generation to heed this warning and not allow such societal travesties of immense proportions ever to occur again Technological Advancements will continue to advance rapidly as we move into the next millennium. What is important is to ensure that these advances benefit humanity as a whole…

The Restaurant business is set for a revolution in technology but could there be looming problems?

Having new technology like mobile phone ordering and tracking, ordering kiosks, custom mobile apps, table location using cell phones, online only ordering and a host of other technologies designed specifically for improving the customer experience sounds like a great idea… but are they?

The rise and rise of the restaurant and eatery since 2007 is wonderful and everyone loves to eat in them. But there are a substantial number of potential customers that cannot use those technologies no matter how they try. And it’s not really their fault!

There is no doubt that technology can improve customers experience. There is a substantial percentage of customers that are not at all savvy with using technology and that is a problem. Consider that the value of fast food restaurants in the UK in 2017 for fast food including takeaways alone was a massive £5.1 Billion but adding up across the whole sector to over £14 Billion and even what seems to be smaller percentages of potential customers adds up to massive loss of business.

While 56% of consumers between the age of 45-64 do use technology in restaurants that leaves a massive 44% of that age group that do not use technology. Indeed, for the USA around 65% of customers over 55 prefer to be served by waiting staff.

Careful consideration of how and where technology is used to improve customer experience is a key consideration for its success, after all who wants to ignore up to 44% of customers because the technology was less than perfect? Remember that the National Restaurant Association says that the number one feature cited by ‘baby boomers’ was a loyalty and rewards program so integrating that in to customer experience technology creates a win/win situation when enticing that sector of customer in to your restaurant or business.

It is noted that in the UK the government has provided national statistics about personal wealth by age where the average liquid wealth was at its highest between age 55 to 64 so it makes a great deal of sense where technology could be introduced as a customer interface that the technology itself does not turn away the wealthiest people with disposable income in UK from any restaurant or business.

Having a focus towards mobile phone ordering is fine for the younger generations, but most readers will know friends over 55 that struggle daily with their cell phone. Deloitte suggest that there has been a substantial increase of smart phone users over 55 between 2012 and 2017 by as much as 71% change but that certainly is no real reflection of how many of those over 55′s use the phone for smart apps. In fact, Deloitte estimates that at least 1 out of 4 consumers aged 55+ who own smartphones have never downloaded a single app. With that level of app use in the 55+ age group those problems for restaurant technology currently remain high on the agenda but seem largely unaddressed by developers and most often ignored by restaurant operators.

It is also worthwhile noting from a recent ‘greenlight’ survey that where the internet is concerned the over 55′s currently spend over £14 Billion through online shopping and are the fastest growing demographic in that area but they tend to be largely ignored by retailers and restaurant customer facing technology development by manufacturers. Bear in mind also that ‘greenlight’ also commented that for 65+ demographic that spending actually reduces compared to the customer in the 55 to 64 age group. Understanding this fact can help to identify which technology will help or hinder that demographic with the resulting increase in sales.

But technology in restaurants is not just about the front of house customer experience, there are other attributable technologies now appearing in restaurants that directly contribute to the overall customer delivery of quality service such as staff tracking that can provide key metrics about staff efficiencies to improve service levels and reduce costs accordingly.

Thinking about current trends where this same demographic of 55 to 64′s is concerned the payment process can also be a hurdle. While many newer payment methods might involve mobile pay, or server tablets, kiosks or apps, consideration has to be given to the effects those technologies will have in deterring the 55 to 64 age group from visiting any restaurant.

It is clear that over time younger generations will eventually migrate to being older technology savvy customers but ignoring the important 55 to 64 age range is not recommended if your restaurants are catering to that demographic already.

Of course, there are other technologies that ARE friendly for the 55 to 64 demographics out there that don’t involve ANY difficult customer level high technology use by the customer such as a table tracking system by LRS of Dallas TX, USA. Their ‘Table Tracker’ is simple to use and the only customer involvement is to place a ‘puck’ on the table they choose to be seated at. Service is improved dramatically and it’s a fact that the over 55′s love great service demonstrated by their love for waiter service.

So, there are a number of questions that need addressing where technology is either implemented or might be in the future, things like:

• Are you limiting your own customer base to millennials? If not:

• How does the customer experience technology impinge on potential client involvement of the 55 to 64′s?
• Are you happy insomuch as the highest disposable income sector of 55+ might not visit your restaurant because of technology concerns?
• Have you seriously considered the aspect of customer facing technology affecting your restaurant sales?
• Do you propose further investigation of the technology products you currently use?
• Review currently installed customer facing technology to address 55+ client sector
• Consider the 55+ client base BEFORE committing to technologies that might not attract the 55+ demographic due to the technical complexity when presented to them.

Customer involvement from all adults is king when using technology to enhance customer experience in any restaurant environment especially where sales are concerned.

Technology & HR-Leverage one for the other: “Technology and HR are enablers of business. Integration of the two would mean not only harmonious co-existence but also leveraging one for the other. Leveraging of technology for HR would mean digitizing the mundane HR activities and automating the back office and transactional activities related to recruitment, performance management, career planning, and succession planning, training and knowledge management. Leveraging HR for technology implies managing change associated with technology by way of communication, training, hiring, retraining, stakeholder analysis and conscious keeping. Thus they can play complementary roles.”

Technology and HR both have one thing common i.e., both these are enablers of business.

In recent times, technology has become synonymous with information technology, as hardly any other technological development of the past would have impacted all spectrum of business as information technology has impacted. Irrespective of the kind of business you are in i.e., services or goods, commodity or branded, trading or manufacturing, contemporary or traditional deployment of information technology in one form or the other is a foregone conclusion. To manage and deploy technology in an effective way, all business Organizations would need knowledge workers. Managing of these knowledge workers is the responsibility of HR function. Hence the integration of technology and HR is an absolute must.

Having understood technology and HR in the present context we must understand integration in this context. Integration would not only mean harmonious co-existing but would also mean one enhancing and complementing the other i.e., technology is used to enhance effectiveness of HR and HR functions helps in adopting and managing change which technology deployment brings in.

Leveraging technology for HR

HR management as a function is responsible for deliverables like business strategy execution, administrative efficiency, employee contribution and capacity for change. All these are accomplished through what HR people do i.e., staffing, development, compensation, benefits, communicate organization design, high performing teams and so on. In majority of these areas technology is being deployed.

e-Recruitment

Recruitment is one area where all the companies worth their name leverage IT. There are two different models of e-recruitment, which are in vogue. One is recruitment through company’s own sites and the other is hosting your requirement on the other sites e.g., monster .com, jobsdb.com, jobsahead.com, naukri.com, and jobstreet.com and so on so forth. The first models is more popular with the larger companies who have a brand pull for potential employees e.g., G.E., IBM, Oracle, Microsoft, HCL, ICICI, Reliance, Mindtree consulting etc. Other companies prefer to go to the job sites. Some are adopting both.

E-recruitment has gone a long way since its start. Now these sites have gone global. Sites like jobsahead.com and monster.com have established global network, which encompasses separate sites for jobs in Australia, Denmark, Belgium, and Canada etc. Job seekers are able to search job by region or country and employers target potential employees in specific countries. For example, 3 Com recently posted a company profile on the Ireland site that highlights the contributions of 3 com’s Irish design team in its global projects.

In the early days e-recruitment was plagued with flooding the employers with low-quality bio-data’s. Again technology has come as a savior. Now pre-employment testing like the one introduced by Capital One, a US based financial company, help in filtering the applicants. These tools test online e.g., applicants for call centers. ‘Profile International’ a Texas based provider of employment assessments, has developed tools that allow instant translation of assessment tests between languages. Further developments like video- conference specialized sites, online executives recruitments and combining online and offline methods are leading to more and more companies adopting e-recruitment at least as a secondary recruitment method. Arena Knights Bridge, a US based IT company conducts video based interview of its prospective employees and only short listed employees are met in person. Even Cisco was to launch the same.

Employee Self Service

Employee self-service is perhaps one utility of IT, which has relieved HR of most of mundane tasks and helped it to improve employee satisfaction. Employee self services is a plethora of small activities, which were earlier carried out by employee through administration wing of HR. These are travel bookings, travel rules information, travel bills, leave rules, leave administration, perk administration, etc. Earlier all these rules and information were in the custody of HR. Every user employee was expected to reach out to HR and get it done. Now with deployment of ESS in most of the companies, employee can request for travel related booking online, fill his/her T.E. bills, apply for leave, log time sheet and see his perks value disbursed and due etc. E.g., in Ballarpur Industries Ltd. leave administration is completely digitized in its corporate office. It is working towards digitizing travel related activities, perks and even compensation management and performance management administration. ‘Digitize or outsource all the mundane and routine focus only on core and value add’ – Vineet Chhabra V.P. -PDC BILT.

Communication

Communication which is most talked about management tool has always been a gray area in HR management. In large companies with vast geographical spread communicating with all employees had really posed formidable challenge to HR professionals. Technology has again come for rescue. Starting with telephones, faxes, e-mails and maturing into video conferencing, net cast, web cast etc. communication is one area of HR, which has been greatly benefited by technology. Mouse & click companies like Oracle, IBM has an intranet which caters to most of the information needs of its employees. Brick & Morter companies like BILT also have made a foray into deploying intranet for internal communication, which has corporate notice board, media coverage, and knowledge corners.

Knowledge Management

Another area of HR, which is leveraging technology, is employee development. Programmed learning (PL) i.e. learning at its own pace is one of the most effective ways of adult learning. Use of technology for this purpose can’t be over emphasized. Aptech Online University and ‘The Manage mentor’ are some of the Indian sites, which are in this business knowledge management, which is an integral part of any learning organization, which cannot become a reality without technology. Companies can harness the knowledge of its employees by cataloging and hosting it on the intranet. Talk to ‘Big-5′ or not ‘so big’ consulting companies you will find that main stay of their business is the knowledge repository. Technology has enabled them to retrieve it swiftly. In the competitive environment where speed is the name of game technology driven Knowledge Management constantly provides a strategic advantage.

If you look at HR module of ERP solutions like people soft, SAP, Oracle and Ramco they provide you with a comprehensive package which helps in man-power planning, recruitment, performance management, training and development, career planning, succession planning, separation and grievance handling. A transaction happening in all these areas are digitized and form a closed loop ensuring employee database is always updated. E.g. a joining letter of a new employee is system generated. It will be printed only when all mandatory fields of information are entered. Similarly a transfer order or a separation letter is issued from the system only if that transaction has been carried out in the system.

For career planning, success planning, skill and competencies matrix methods are used by most of these systems. They search an employee with the required skills first in the in-house database of employees. Once put in practice in letter & spirit, this system not only enhances business results by matching the right candidate for right job but also improves retention of employees.

Processing payroll, churning out time office reports, providing HR-MIS are some other routine activities of HR which have been off-loaded to technology.

Leveraging HR for Technology

All HR professionals, preaching or practicing, learning or experimenting, teaching or studying have experienced leveraging technology for HR. But most of us come across a situation where we need to leverage HR for technology. Let us understand what do we mean by this.

Whenever technology is deployed afresh or upgraded it involves a change. The change may be at the activity level e.g., applying for leave through the intranet or at the mental model level e.g., digitizing the process succession planning which have been HR professionals forte. The people have always registered adopting change. This is one area where HR professionals are to deliver i.e., become change agents and lead the process of technology and change adoption. The resistance to change is directly proportional to speed of change. Now speed of change has increased and hence resistance.

Just to take an example, most of ERP implementation in the world have not been able to deliver all the expectations. Some of these have failed to deliver at all. While analyzing the cause of failure it has been observed that 96% of failures are because of people related issues and only 4% are because of technology.

It is the people who make the difference; hence HR should exploit its expertise to facilitate the adoption of technology. I would like to put together some of the thoughts on what HR should do for this.

At the time of recruitment, stop hiring for skills rather hire for attitude and a learning mind. Skills of today are no longer valid tomorrow. Managing ever changing change is the only criteria for success.

Functional or technical skills can be acquired during the job. Hence recruitment in the technology era needs to undergo a paradigm shift i.e., from a skill/competency based it needs to be attitude and learning mind/ ability based interview. That would translate into hiring for skills for future. In IBM every employee has to fill in his/her individual development plan where the employee commits its learning one/two new skills every year thus remaining competitive every time.

If we look at the chemistry of resistance to change it is either a skill issue or a will issue. To address the will issue we need to work at a comprehensive solution starting from recruitment (as discussed earlier), reward, compensation and leading to organization culture which promotes change. A living example is 3M, a US based company, where innovation is way of life, where 10% of revenue must come from new products every year. For them change becomes way of life.

To address the will issue further organization need to prepare a communication strategy which creates a ‘pull’ for the technology. For example, in Ranbaxy, when they went for SAP implementation they anticipated resistance. To address this they started a house journal, which was aimed at educating the employees on the benefits, which will result from adoption of ERP, SAP. This created a need rather a potential need or a latent need was brought out. Adoption of ERP did not become much of a problem.

At times adoption of technologies is perceived as a threat by the employees e.g., automation leading to reduction in workers, office automation leading to retrenchment of clerks etc. HR needs to be associated with the technical adoption right from the beginning till the end. At the selection of technical stage if HR is associated, it can map the skills required and create a pull during implementation and adoption. Post adoption it can release the excess non-re-allocatable employees.

To understand this process more clearly we can take example of ERP implementation. ERP is taken as an example as this is one technology adoption which effects employees across the org. irrespective of function and position. Any other automation may have affected only a segment of organisation. ERP implementation in any organization goes through the following stages.

1. Selection of package

2. Business analysis

3. Solution design

4. Configuration and customization

5. Conference room piloting (CRP)

6. Go-live and production

At each stage HR has to play a role, which will help in mitigating resistance to change.

During selection process, the change agent can understand the business benefit ERP would bring. This would help him to draw a comprehensive communication plant aimed at creating a ‘pull’ for the change. The communication plan may use its various weapons from the armory. The obvious examples are Newsletters, Newsflash. In-house journal, addressing by the top management, web cast, open house sessions, meetings formal and informal.

During the business analysis phase implementation team is supposed to analyse the existing business processes. At times this leads to surfacing of some data which is not very desirable by the process owners, leading to resistance at this stage, HR has to be again proactive and carry out a detailed stake-holder analysis. Such an analysis should give a lead to potential areas of problem and potential champions of change.

Solution design involves defining ‘To-be processes’ i.e., the way business would be carried out in future. At this stage HR has to play the role of catalyst to turn the heat on. The idea is to ensure to make maximum out of an opportunity of package enabled business transformation. HR can play a role by arranging to educate and train the right people on best business practices, just before this phase.

During the configuration and customization HR has to keep on beating the drum, the customization of a standard package is a big no-no. Similarly, during the conference room plotting (CRP) it should help in identifying the right persons to be involved in CRP. A thorough testing at this stage would result in lesser pain at the time of going live. This is also time to focus on training of end users, the employees who are going to use the system once implemented. Training- retraining -training to ensure all the prospective users are comfortable with usage of software before the system goes live.

During the go-live stage HR has to work over time to keep the motivation levels high. This is the time when management starts losing patience as one glitch after the other keeps appearing and virtually bringing the business to halt. At this stage, HR has to play ‘conscious keeper’ for the top management once into product relocating the surplus is a challenge for which it has to be prepared before it.

This examples makes it clear that involvement of HR during the entire life cycle of technology is valuable. ERP is not an isolated case. It is true for any other technology adoption only finer details may vary. Hence HR must play a proactive role rather than being just a silent spectator or mere executers of the wishes of business or chief technology officer in case of technological changes.

Having set the case in different perspective, it seems only logical to leverage technology for HR and vice-versa.

In the past few years of research on instructional technology has resulted in a clearer vision of how technology can affect teaching and learning. Today, almost every school in the United States of America uses technology as a part of teaching and learning and with each state having its own customized technology program. In most of those schools, teachers use the technology through integrated activities that are a part of their daily school curriculum. For instance, instructional technology creates an active environment in which students not only inquire, but also define problems of interest to them. Such an activity would integrate the subjects of technology, social studies, math, science, and language arts with the opportunity to create student-centered activity. Most educational technology experts agree, however, that technology should be integrated, not as a separate subject or as a once-in-a-while project, but as a tool to promote and extend student learning on a daily basis.

Today, classroom teachers may lack personal experience with technology and present an additional challenge. In order to incorporate technology-based activities and projects into their curriculum, those teachers first must find the time to learn to use the tools and understand the terminology necessary for participation in projects or activities. They must have the ability to employ technology to improve student learning as well as to further personal professional development.

Instructional technology empowers students by improving skills and concepts through multiple representations and enhanced visualization. Its benefits include increased accuracy and speed in data collection and graphing, real-time visualization, the ability to collect and analyze large volumes of data and collaboration of data collection and interpretation, and more varied presentation of results. Technology also engages students in higher-order thinking, builds strong problem-solving skills, and develops deep understanding of concepts and procedures when used appropriately.

Technology should play a critical role in academic content standards and their successful implementation. Expectations reflecting the appropriate use of technology should be woven into the standards, benchmarks and grade-level indicators. For example, the standards should include expectations for students to compute fluently using paper and pencil, technology-supported and mental methods and to use graphing calculators or computers to graph and analyze mathematical relationships. These expectations should be intended to support a curriculum rich in the use of technology rather than limit the use of technology to specific skills or grade levels. Technology makes subjects accessible to all students, including those with special needs. Options for assisting students to maximize their strengths and progress in a standards-based curriculum are expanded through the use of technology-based support and interventions. For example, specialized technologies enhance opportunities for students with physical challenges to develop and demonstrate mathematics concepts and skills. Technology influences how we work, how we play and how we live our lives. The influence technology in the classroom should have on math and science teachers’ efforts to provide every student with “the opportunity and resources to develop the language skills they need to pursue life’s goals and to participate fully as informed, productive members of society,” cannot be overestimated.

Technology provides teachers with the instructional technology tools they need to operate more efficiently and to be more responsive to the individual needs of their students. Selecting appropriate technology tools give teachers an opportunity to build students’ conceptual knowledge and connect their learning to problem found in the world. The technology tools such as Inspiration® technology, Starry Night, A WebQuest and Portaportal allow students to employ a variety of strategies such as inquiry, problem-solving, creative thinking, visual imagery, critical thinking, and hands-on activity.

Benefits of the use of these technology tools include increased accuracy and speed in data collection and graphing, real-time visualization, interactive modeling of invisible science processes and structures, the ability to collect and analyze large volumes of data, collaboration for data collection and interpretation, and more varied presentations of results.

Technology integration strategies for content instructions. Beginning in kindergarten and extending through grade 12, various technologies can be made a part of everyday teaching and learning, where, for example, the use of meter sticks, hand lenses, temperature probes and computers becomes a seamless part of what teachers and students are learning and doing. Contents teachers should use technology in ways that enable students to conduct inquiries and engage in collaborative activities. In traditional or teacher-centered approaches, computer technology is used more for drill, practice and mastery of basic skills.

The instructional strategies employed in such classrooms are teacher centered because of the way they supplement teacher-controlled activities and because the software used to provide the drill and practice is teacher selected and teacher assigned. The relevancy of technology in the lives of young learners and the capacity of technology to enhance teachers’ efficiency are helping to raise students’ achievement in new and exciting ways.

As students move through grade levels, they can engage in increasingly sophisticated hands-on, inquiry-based, personally relevant activities where they investigate, research, measure, compile and analyze information to reach conclusions, solve problems, make predictions and/or seek alternatives. They can explain how science often advances with the introduction of new technologies and how solving technological problems often results in new scientific knowledge. They should describe how new technologies often extend the current levels of scientific understanding and introduce new areas of research. They should explain why basic concepts and principles of science and technology should be a part of active debate about the economics, policies, politics and ethics of various science-related and technology-related challenges.

Students need grade-level appropriate classroom experiences, enabling them to learn and to be able to do science in an active, inquiry-based fashion where technological tools, resources, methods and processes are readily available and extensively used. As students integrate technology into learning about and doing science, emphasis should be placed on how to think through problems and projects, not just what to think.

Technological tools and resources may range from hand lenses and pendulums, to electronic balances and up-to-date online computers (with software), to methods and processes for planning and doing a project. Students can learn by observing, designing, communicating, calculating, researching, building, testing, assessing risks and benefits, and modifying structures, devices and processes – while applying their developing knowledge of science and technology.
Most students in the schools, at all age levels, might have some expertise in the use of technology, however K-12 they should recognize that science and technology are interconnected and that using technology involves assessment of the benefits, risks and costs. Students should build scientific and technological knowledge, as well as the skill required to design and construct devices. In addition, they should develop the processes to solve problems and understand that problems may be solved in several ways.

Rapid developments in the design and uses of technology, particularly in electronic tools, will change how students learn. For example, graphing calculators and computer-based tools provide powerful mechanisms for communicating, applying, and learning mathematics in the workplace, in everyday tasks, and in school mathematics. Technology, such as calculators and computers, help students learn mathematics and support effective mathematics teaching. Rather than replacing the learning of basic concepts and skills, technology can connect skills and procedures to deeper mathematical understanding. For example, geometry software allows experimentation with families of geometric objects, and graphing utilities facilitate learning about the characteristics of classes of functions.

Learning and applying mathematics requires students to become adept in using a variety of techniques and tools for computing, measuring, analyzing data and solving problems. Computers, calculators, physical models, and measuring devices are examples of the wide variety of technologies, or tools, used to teach, learn, and do mathematics. These tools complement, rather than replace, more traditional ways of doing mathematics, such as using symbols and hand-drawn diagrams.

Technology, used appropriately, helps students learn mathematics. Electronic tools, such as spreadsheets and dynamic geometry software, extend the range of problems and develop understanding of key mathematical relationships. A strong foundation in number and operation concepts and skills is required to use calculators effectively as a tool for solving problems involving computations. Appropriate uses of those and other technologies in the mathematics classroom enhance learning, support effective instruction, and impact the levels of emphasis and ways certain mathematics concepts and skills are learned. For instance, graphing calculators allow students to quickly and easily produce multiple graphs for a set of data, determine appropriate ways to display and interpret the data, and test conjectures about the impact of changes in the data.

Technology is a tool for learning and doing mathematics rather than an end in itself. As with any instructional tool or aid, it is only effective when used well. Teachers must make critical decisions about when and how to use technology to focus instruction on learning mathematics.

There are a wide variety of laptops out there, as there is a wide variety of brands, or manufacturers, that make laptops. Some of them have gained fame, while others still linger in the dark awaiting recognition. What makes a laptop brand popular and what are the most popular laptop brands?

Popularity, when it comes to technology and specifically laptops, has much to do with a lot features the computing machine has to offer the end user. Some brands have established themselves as innovators and usually bring out laptops with the newest technology built into them, allowing for a small glimpse into the future of mobile computing. Others are known by their interesting designs and the general feel a laptop can bring to a user. Many have gone to great lengths to optimize the way people work and play using laptops, and several branches (a.k.a. brands) have emerged, each of them dealing with a specific segment when it comes to usability or ultra performance.

Brands like Alienware, for example, are known worldwide to provide top-notch gaming system. These come usually packed with the latest high-tech solutions, meaning a heap of processing power to be able to withstand high requirements the newer generation of games have. Also, they are known to have quite a large price tag to them, so you won’t find your laptop for everyday use when searching through the Alienware brand. Instead, you’ll come across powerhouses which pack in a lot of tech in a very small space capable of taking any task you might throw at it.

Apple, on the other hand, is a great brand known worldwide for their unique approach to mobile computing. This brand is a true innovator in almost all aspects of the way we interact with technology. Aside from their already renown iPad and iPod line of products, their laptops are some of the best you’ll find which have a reasonable price tag to them and a lot of processing power to go. Their support makes Apple one of the most popular laptop brands today and their unique operating system approach give new meaning to the term “user friendly”.

Again, on the innovative side of things, one brand to truly appreciate is the Lenovo. Their laptops are known to be durable high performance machines, and the unique designs they pull out on a constant basis make them a true competitor in this popularity contest. Their laptops are usually packed full with useful and convenient software designed for businesses and average consumers alike. They address a lot of consumer needs and new generation software will keep them in a high position for years to come.

Sony is another popular brand among users. Their laptop designs are considered to be sometimes luxurious and their customer support can only be matched by Apple’s. Their goal is not only to make laptop that work well, but also make laptops that look exceptional and have an ultra-modern look and feel about them. They invented the island style keyboards and have been known to provide a better typing and navigation experience.

Acer is a bit of each, but since it doesn’t focus too much on a specific segment, they come out with plain looking laptop that gets the job done. This is addressed to people who don’t care much for the laptop design, and are interested specifically in everyday tasks. As an everyday use laptop, the Acer brand could be one of the most affordable laptops the market has to offer.

Online reputation management begins with proactive public relations strategy. Measurement of online brand acceptance and social media activity associated to a brand is a crucial component in determining success and value of campaign efforts. How can you monitor your efforts to know whether you’re making a difference?

Strategies for effective online brand management require a nimble structure. Online reputation management technologies evolve with the market, as emerging technologies are launched. Every day, new platforms are introducing themselves to the market, enabling deeper insight into trends associated with brand discussions and competitive strategies.

There are several social media monitoring tools that are useful in monitoring online reputation management efforts, both paid and free. To follow are three areas you should monitor, with tools for online brand measurement.

Benchmark Your Current Online Brand Position.

Monitoring of website, social media pages, and blog visits are a basic metric of every online reputation management campaign. The first steps of measurement should begin with a benchmark for number of visits, unique visitors, page views per visit, and time spent on the online brand site. From there, you can graduate to measuring a visitor’s progress, activity associated with pages, the success of campaign components, then begin to calculate the ROI of your online marketing efforts.

Any basic, free analytics program, Google Analytics, StatCounter, even your web log files, can give you basic numbers of web visitors. However, to find deeper stats in online reputation management, you may want to consider a paid research and monitoring service that uses a full-service professional analytics package.

Consider Trends of Associated Brand Discussions.

Online brand management considers monitoring stats which answer these questions:What do people say about your brand? What is their mood, tone, and voice associated with brand discussions? Where are they talking about your brand? What demographic is listening and responding to brand discussions?

These questions are important in B2C and B2B marketing, because consumers are more likely to listen to each other than they are to react to brand advertising. They respond to family and friends first. Within social media platforms such as Linked In, Facebook and Twitter, social blog platforms of WordPress and Blogger, people are speaking about your products and services. They will tell their friends when they are happy or displeased with your brand. Monitoring of this activity enables brand managers to pick up comments and activity associated with a brand, immediately, while activity is taking place, and respond before negative sentiment spins out of control.

Radian6 and ScoutLabs are two social media monitoring tools that monitor several different social networks, although they’re a little pricey for a small business. Vocus is another paid tool that measures social media, as well as PR and news mentions. Working with an online brand management agency, which specializes in online reputation management within social media is beneficial. These companies handle online reputation management for several clients, therefore your company is not incurring the costs of social media monitoring tools.

Evaluate Your Competition.

Reputation management includes competitive brand monitoring. There are competitors, partners, vendors, and other people who can affect the reputation of your brand. Monitoring their activity assists you in measuring the success of your online reputation management efforts. For example, is your biggest competitor ranked in search engine results within industry targeted categories? Are your vendors and partners talking about you in their online communication or within social media?

Determining the success in online reputation management enables brand managers and individuals to understand trends of discussions happening within social media, which are associated to the brand, and could be affecting brand value and acceptance. Evaluating competitive strategy and associated brand positions provide additional insight. Online brand strategy today requires a fluid position, one that considers the newest technologies and emerging platforms for measurement. Brand success will be determined by current and future trends in technology of online and mobile brand management.

International Business Machines aka ‘IBM’ is an international computer, technology and IT consulting company that is stationed in Armonk North Castle, New York, United States. IBM is considered one of the world’s most valuable technological brands and by far the world’s biggest technology company. IBM was founded all the way back in the 19th century and is still alive today. IBM produces and sells hardware and software for computers, and offers infrastructure services, hosting services and consulting services in places ranging from motherboards to nanotechnology. IBM is often called “Big Blue” because of its logo and corporate color. IBM is definitely one of the forefathers of the technological movement and without them I probably wouldn’t have an internet marketing job in Fort Lauderdale.

Throughout history, IBM has been known as the world’s biggest most prevalent computer company and systems integrator. With over 407,000 employees stationed in 200 different countries who specialize in professions such as scientists, engineers, consultants, and sales professionals; IBM has its foot in the door in just about everything that concerns computers. IBM employees have earned different awards such as five Nobel Prizes, nine National Medals of Technology and five Notional medals of Science.

Tabulating Machine Company, eventually IBM, was founded in 1896 by Herman Hollerith, in Boome County, New York. Tabulating Machine Company was eventually renamed Computer Tabulating Recording Corporation on June 16th, 1911. Five years later George Winthrop Fairchild listed Computer Tabulating Recording Corporation on the NYSE. Thomas J. Watson took over the company in 1924 when people started calling it International Business Design. There first U.S. trademark was “THINK” introduced June 6th, 1935. A U.S. trademark was not filed for “IBM” until May 24th, 1949.

Unlike things in the nature of internet marketing, IBM has had a long history in dealing with environmental tribulations. They established a company policy for environmental security in 1971.Over the last five years IBM’s hazardous waste has decreased by 44 percent, and has decreased 94.6 percent since 1987. IBM has reconsidered certain tendencies they had in order to eliminate almost all the closed loop recycling to start using more environmentally-friendly materials in their place. IBM was mentioned in Environmental Protection Agency magazine as being “Top 20 Best Workplaces for Commuters” in the United States.

IBM was nicked named “Big Blue”. Many people have theories but there’s no conclusive evidence. One theory substantiated, is during the 1960′s people who worked for IBM coined the phrase because of the color of the mainframes. Another theory was just because of the company’s logo and how it was just blue. Lastly Big Blue might refer to the company’s dress code policy and how IBM employees wore mainly white shirts and blue suits.

One of IBM’s current projects is a website for software developers and IT professionals called developer Works. The basis behind this project is it contains many how-to articles and tutorials, as well as software downloads, code samples, discussion forums, podcasts, blogs, wikis and other resources for IT and software developers to go in and gather information.

These days, technological advancement is seen influencing our lives, adding cutting-edge technologies, brand new ideas & lasting materials to everything from mobiles to modern furniture that we use daily. It has resulted in more comfortable, durable & safer modern office furniture & made our lives full of luxury.

It is no secret that modern furniture has a great demand in the international market & a growing number of people choose it to give their homes or offices a contemporary look. However, some people are of the view that the modern office furniture lacks new technology & ideas & appears more like the conventional ones. This is not found to be true.

To their surprise, more & more furniture manufacturers are using cutting-edge technologies & special materials to produce revolutionary, sustainable & portable modern furniture in attractive shapes & sizes. Most of these furniture makers maintain their own websites. So, people who want to go for a remodeling in their home or office can start searching for them on web.

A few decades back, we don’t have enough option in modern furniture except a few common types of dining rooms, bedrooms & wall units. The technological advancement in modern furniture design has now given us the freedom to choose from hundreds of contemporary modern office furniture in different looks, materials & sizes so as to make our offices look more beautiful.

In earlier times, wood was highly used in the making of all kinds of furniture. Therefore the traditional furniture was too heavy, dull looking & was susceptible to water, light & other weather conditions. In an effort to increase the acceptability of conventional furniture, researchers introduced new furniture materials like plywood, plastic etch. The furniture makers have started using these materials in the furniture making & made the modern furniture light in weight & lovely in look. Even today, some of the furniture models are made of wood with plywood in the sides. This makes the furniture to cost & weigh less & look classic. The furniture designers often make experiments with the furniture supplies including materials, using a combination of glass, wood, chrome & steel in the furniture making process. Many are aware of the deteriorating global condition & want to use eco-friendly furniture designs. That’s why the furniture for gardens & terraces are made from recycled materials. This is not all as the furniture makers are largely using a mixed variety of materials to produce more reliable & durable products. Now, heavy plasma TVs can be kept on fortified glass made wall hangings.

Modern home & office furniture needs a fashionable look to draw the attention of more number of buyers. That’s why the furniture makers keep on working with different colors, styles, patterns & shapes to bring an improvement in its value & functionality. Such transforming & sustaining furniture assures to give comfort to normal buyers who don’t live in plush bungalows or apartments. It is the sophisticated technology that helps convert your comfy sofa to perfect bed. Due to this technology, you can now purchase a convertible & smart looking dining table with multiple moves to accommodate your whole family & friends whenever necessity arises. Have you ever seen a modern armchair which can get transformed into a nice looking lounge with just a button press? This is all the result of technological advancement in the furniture making & designing.

As the world is advancing technologically, we are leaving behind desktop computers and stepping into the world of laptops and notebooks.

But because of cut throat competition in the industry, product branding is just as important as the features they offer.

There should be a proper company emblem that should make its product proud.

Let’s have a look at some renowned notebook computer logo ideas belonging to some famous technological brands.

1. HP Pavilion:

This famous notebook business mark consists of the company initials in straight but slightly slanted fonts. The text is encircled in a white circle which in turn is surrounded by a soft edged rectangle. The prominent colors used are blue and silver but the company also uses the combination of black and silver at certain products. The slightly 3 dimensional look of the text coupled with silver color gives the emblem a high tech feel.

2. Alienware:

Not only is their brand mark different from the rest but so are their notebooks. This company mainly focuses on computer gaming and their design reflects the same. The emblem consists of a 3 dimensional image of an alien face that is usually black in color with silver shading. Because it’s a black colored image on a black background, the only feature that makes the emblem eye catching is the eye color of the alien which may vary from red to blue depending on the model of the notebook. Their monogram is the perfect representation of a notebook that is targeted towards youth.

3. Lenovo ThinkPad:

The company name is scripted in thick and blue fonts that give it an appealing look. The word ‘thinkpad’ is placed beneath the company name in thin but straight fonts that give it a sophisticated and elegant look that contrasts the friendly effect ‘Lenovo’ is giving. The only hint of color besides blue and black is the use of red dot for the letter I in ‘Thinkpad.’

4. ASUS:

Personally, this logo reminds me of spaceships and super technology. Here, the company name is written in thick and straight fonts with a horizontal line cutting through the name that seems to depict speed and velocity. The sharp edged fonts contribute towards making this brand mark fast paced and trendy.

5. Quanta:

The Quanta computer logo consists of a letter O that accommodates a red stripped wing at one side that also makes the symbol look like a Q. The prominent colors used are red and blue which make the symbol attractive and eye catching. Because red and blue are loud colors that are used in the image, the creators have used a white colored background so that the image stands out. This design may not be the best one to reflect technological advancement but it certainly stands out.

Hence, while creating their brand marks, these note book companies have made sure that their logo reflects the unique feature that the product has to offer along with being distinct and memorable.

Choosing a name for your business or product is one of the most difficult decisions to make. And it’s important to not get caught up in the emotion of it all. When the iPad was first announced, it ignited a firestorm of negative comments. People often claimed that it either sounded like someone from New England saying iPod or some type of new feminine product. Today, however, those dissenting voices have gone silent for one simple reason: the name is now viewed in its appropriate context as a great piece of technology.

Brand names are not meant to stand alone in a vacuum but instead to be viewed in the light of what it represents. When it comes to names, the focus should not be on finding a name that one likes but instead one that works. Brand naming is a process based on principles. In my firm, we use the following seven principles to keep us focused and find a name that fits its context. In order to succeed as a brand, a name should be:

1. Meaningful- Does it have some degree of meaning infused? Is it easily explained? Nike, for example, is the Greek goddess for victory. It’s simple and significant.
2. Memorable- Is the name easy to remember? Brevity and alliteration are great devices to help ensure memorability.
3. Distinctive- Is the name radically differentiated from the competition? 5 Hour Energy, despite sounding a little dull, is completely unique compared to Monster or Red Bull.
4. Ownable- Is the name protectable? Is there a direct URL available?
5. Likeable- Do we actually like the name? Would the target audience respond to the name? Is it relevant to them?
6. Intuitive- Is the name easy to say and spell? Haagen-Dazs ice cream is a great fabricated name but I can’t ever remember how to spell it.
7. Flexible- Will this name inhibit the business in the future? Is it too limiting? Is it modular?

While following these principles won’t guarantee that consumers won’t jeer at the name just as they first did the iPad, they do succeed in clarifying the process and work to ensure that the name of your brand is an effective and accurate representation of your entire offering. Your brand name, after all, is the foundation of your brand within the context of what your firm represents. By putting in the effort to develop a meaningful and powerful brand name and backing it up with a solid product offering, the brand will have a great foundation to build from and ultimately become a meaningful and engaging part of its customers’ lives.