TRADOC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

TRADOC - Essay Example Indeed, it must be realized that in order to realize its mission, there must be a proper integration of the activities of TRADOC. Considering that the mission of the Command revolves around training, it is imperative to note that this training is geared towards creating effective formations that can help address the overall mission objectives of the US Army (TRADOC 2012) . TRADOC also has an objective of ensuring the Army is guided through doctrine. This is a very important objective especially in the disciplined forces. It is often realized that many people in the Army fail to understand much of the doctrine that guide their operations. In this respects, challenges often abound. In line with TRADOC’s missions of designing a capable and versatile US Army, this objective is definitely a proper way of ensuring the compliance with the law. TRADOC also seeks to develop very adaptive leaders both drawn from soldiers and civilians. Indeed, as a training unit, TRADOC seeks to transfo rm not only the army but civilians as well. It therefore extends its training in order to create a population that understands and appreciates the important role of the Army. Through proper leadership, it is expected that the mission of TRADOC will be achieved across the board as people will share much of the information obtained from the Command. As a training Command, the core objective of TRADOC is therefore to recruit and train solders and to provide various ways that support unit training. In this respect, TRADOC oversees Army school across the country which train over 500,000 soldiers and service members yearly. The training is always made to reflect the changing times and this call for much innovation and agility. In this case, the trainees are always suited to serve in both times of peace and war. All these objectives outlined above certainly have various measures to ensure they are effectively achieved. With respect to building and integrating the various formations, one me asurement aspect can be a united and cohesive Army and proper coexistence between the Army and the civilians. It is often realized that a lack of integration of the various units presents many challenges in administration. Such a measurement would therefore be effective in gauging the effectiveness of the training in this respect. As regards civilian training, one measurement metric can involve conducting a survey on the civilians to determine whether they understand the imperatives of Army training and the need to appreciate the role of the Army in the society. Lastly, with respect to overall training, measurement is achieved by the quality of the various Army commands and whether they realize their particular objectives. For instance their performance in war or in peacetime activities such as natural calamities can effectively provide an insight on their effectiveness DePuy, W. E., (Swain, Gilmore & Conway, 2000). Considering that the focus of TRADOC is essentially training, the e xpected level of performance or target is the lack of any challenges in operations with respect to the various formations. On civilian training, the target is the achievement is a cohesive coexistence between the solders and the civilians. In terms of general training, the target is professionalism and excellence in terms of performance at all times (King & Demsey, 2008). In order to ensure a successful

Alcoholic Authors Essay Example for Free

Alcoholic Authors Essay The prominence of alcoholism in American literature, at least in the first half of the twentieth century, and the relationship between great authors and alcoholism has become somewhat of a literary cliche. Icons such as Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, and Jack Kerouac are as famous for their work as they are infamous for their drinking habits. These authors have created a legend out of themselves just from their notorious habits of drinking. Of the seven native-born Americans awarded the Nobel Prize in literature, five were alcoholics. The list of other twentieth-century American writers also affected with alcoholism is very long. I researched these authors’ lives to find out how they all were infected with the same disease, alcoholism. Some said that drinking boosted their creative abilities, while others thought of it more of an escape from the confines of their own imagination, to which they were bound for all hours of the day. Drinking does fit the loner lifestyle that many of these authors had. It was viewed as a cure for writers block, an escape from their own minds, and most importantly, as a tool to cure the emotional hardships that they endured. It is not a coincidence that the greatest writers and artists also had very troubled childhoods and adult lives. Look at Edgar Allan Poe and Vincent Van Gogh; both were both severely troubled emotionally and depressed, and yet they still produced artistic and literary genius. So what is this connection between alcoholism and the great authors of the early 19th century? I will take an in-depth look at a few of the most influential alcoholic authors, such as Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Edgar Allan Poe, and Tennessee Williams. I will look at factors that may have led them to their alcoholic habits, such as their childhood, troubled lives, or depression. From there, I will then look at how alcohol affected their works, positively or negatively. And as we all know, alcoholism was also double-edged sword that led to the destruction of their careers, and ultimately to their deaths. I have absolutely no pleasure in the stimulants in which I sometimes so madly indulge. It has not been in the pursuit of pleasure that I have periled life and reputation and reason. It has been the desperate attempt to escape from torturing memories, from a sense of insupportable loneliness and a dread of some strange impending doom. This quote by Edgar Allan Poe perfectly depicts why many of these great authors fell back into the grasp of alcoholism. Many were troubled spirits who had tough lives, and used alcohol as an escape from their woes. Poe’s depression was caused by his alcoholic father, the death of both of his mothers, the death of his loving wife, the separations of his siblings, and an abusive foster father. No doubt, these losses and hardships sculpted Poe into who he was as a person and author. He relied heavily on alcohol to ease his pain. Another notable case of hardships and emotional struggle that led to alcoholism was Tennessee Williams. As a child he was exposed to a very problematic family. His hard-drinking father favored his brother, as Williams was sensitive and seemed to be homosexual at a very young age. He was closest to his sister Rose, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia and institutionalized. Later on, he had troubles dealing with his sexuality, which led to heavy drug and alcohol abuse. He married Frank Merlo, whom provided balance to his bouts of rage and alcoholic abuse. Williams sunk into even deeper depression after Merlo left him, because of his alcoholism. Williams won the Pullitzer Prize for Drama after writing, A Streetcar Named Desire in 1948. He wrote this largely based off of events from his own life, most vividly portraying his alcoholic habits through Stanley. Another example of a great author whose troubled life had led him to become an alcoholic is Ernest Hemingway. Like Williams, he was also an award-winning author who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. During his final years, Hemingway’s behavior was similar to his father’s before he himself committed suicide. Hemingway was diagnosed with the genetic disease Hemochromatosis, which causes mental and physical deterioration. His brother and sister also committed suicide as well. In addition to Hemingway’s mental illnesses, he was an alcoholic for most of his life. After his death, in the writing, â€Å"Ernest Hemingway: A Psychological Autopsy of a Suicide†, Christopher Martin talks about the possible causes of Hemingway’s suicide. He discovers after careful reading of Hemingway’s works, that they reveal the possibility of conditions such as, bipolar disorder, alcoholic dependence, traumatic brain injury, and narcissistic personality traits. Hemingway was obviously troubled mentally and emotionally, and relied heavily on alcohol. Hemingway is one of the most well known alcoholic authors to this day. It was a common trait amongst many of the alcoholic authors to have emotional hardships and struggles. There is no doubt that these authors’ works were affected strongly by their addiction to drinking. As discussed previously, some stated that it boosted creativity, immediately cured writer’s block, and even relaxed them from the pressure of writing. Dr. Donald Goodwin, the author of â€Å"Alcohol and the Writer,† performed research on the correlation between authors and alcoholism. He concluded that writing in itself does not encourage alcoholism. Instead, he suggests that creativity is inspired by insanity because, creative writing requires a rich fantasy life. Alcohol promotes this same fantasy life as it skews ones perceptions. Goodwin concludes that writing and alcoholism are products of the same lifestyle, rather than writing as a profession encouraging alcoholism. â€Å"Writing involves fantasy; alcohol promotes fantasy. Writing requires self-confidence; alcohol bolsters confidence. Writing is lonely work; alcohol assuages loneliness. Writing demands intense concentration; alcohol relaxes. † For example, William Faulkner, from the very beginning of his career, drank while he wrote. He claimed, I usually write at night. I always keep my whiskey within reach. Faulkner was also a Nobel Prize winner for his novels and short stories. Hemingway found whiskey as a sort of relief from his day to day routines, almost medicinal. Hemingway once stated, â€Å"When you work hard all day with your head and know you must work again the next day what else can change your ideas and make them run on a different plane like whisky? † This sort of mindset was one similar amongst many other great authors alike. In Goodwins book, he has a chapter titled, â€Å"The Loner Theory. † Alcoholism is basically a disease of individualism. People who are affected are those who, from early childhood, have a strong sense of being psychologically alone and on their own in the world. These people feel that they can get emotional release from drinking. We can see this individualistic character in many great authors. Goodwin goes on to compare writing and being drunk. He claims, â€Å"Writing and alcohol both produce trancelike states. A gift for creative writing may involve an innate ability to enter trancelike states. Being a loner, may facilitate trancelike states when it is time to write, and encourage drinking to overcome the shyness and ? isolation when it is time to relax. † This reasoning and logic is clearly evident in many of the author’s lifestyles. As much as these tendencies helped many of them produce creative work, it also led to many of their careers’ demise and eventually, death. The infamous drinking habits of Hemingway, Poe, Faulkner, and the like, all eventually led to their death or career demise. Many of these alcoholic authors were on a slow decline creatively. Many thought that their alcoholism deadened their creative thought process and rather turned them into more drab and emotional writers. Faulkner’s prose was slowed down by his sclerosis, while Hemingway’s style was drowned in emotions. Hemingway ridiculed his friend Fitzgerald when he went public in Esquire, talking about his downfall publicly. Hemingway was disgusted, and invited him to cast his, â€Å"balls into the sea—if you have any balls left†. Many authors attempted to get sober but found they could not write without alcohol. Many would just have one big hit and then decline from there, fighting sobriety and the ability to write without alcohol. Hemingway struggled to find happiness later on in life and eventually committed suicide. Faulkner died of a heart attack that was attributed to his heavy alcohol abuse. Edgar Allan Poe’s death was largely due to alcoholism. It is still a bit of a mystery as to how he died, but according to newspaper articles at the time it was due to cerebral inflammation, which is commonly linked with alcoholism. Many of these great authors were known for their great works as well as their drinking habits. Sadly, alcoholism led to many of their declining health in later ages. Their creative spark was slowly dulled over time by drinking, and many lived unhappy lives. There is an irrefutable link between many authors and alcoholism. Many of them happened to live in the same time frame, and were legends amongst the population largely in part to their drinking habits. Their alcoholic tendencies are all largely due to their loner lifestyles that they all shared. No doubt, they had great artistic minds. Many of them were award-winning authors who are icons American literature. However, their drinking habits are just as famous as was their work. Unfortunately, these habits eventually led many of them to their downfall. Many took their own lives, drank until they passed, or died because of other health complications due to alcoholism. Drinking was a cure for writers block, an escape from their own minds, and also a tool to cure their emotional downfalls that their troubled lives had brought upon them. It is not a coincidence that the greatest writers and artists also had very troubled childhoods and even adult lives. There is a direct connection between the tendencies of â€Å"loners† to be dependant on alcohol, and the tendencies of many authors to be loners. In conclusion, many authors had troubled lives and childhoods that led them to become emotionally scarred. This led to alcoholic habits. Next, many of them enjoyed working and writing while intoxicated. It suited their personalities. Alcoholism is an individualistic disease, and writing is typically an individual art form. Just as these authors found comfort in drinking, many of them drank their lives into the gutter; quite literally in Poe’s case. The same thing that they found comfort in, used as a tool for their writing, led them to demise. Their mental and physical health deteriorated, and ultimately many of them died unhappy. However, these authors were legends in literature. Hemingway, Faulkner, Poe, Fitzgerald, and Williams to name a few, all of these authors graced us with their genius, although some of them paid the price of their genius with mental and physical deterioration due to a life-long love affair with alcohol. Works Cited Dardis, Tom. (1989). The Thirsty Muse: Alcohol and the American Writer. Fields. Goodwin, Donald W. (1988). Alcohol and the Writer. Andrews McMeel Publishing Padgett, John B. (2006, August 17). William Faulkner: Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved from http://www. mcsr. olemiss. edu/~egjbp/faulkner/wf-faq. html Sedaris, Amy. (2006, December 15). Great American Writers and Their Cocktails. National Public Radio, Retrieved from http://www. npr. org/templates/story/story. php? storyId=662497 Shone, Tom. (2009, 6 15). When Novelists Sober up. Intelligent Life Magazine, Retrieved from.

The Black Cat Essay -- essays research papers

â€Å"The Black Cat,† by Edgar Allan Poe   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Black Cat,† a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, is about a man who is in jail confessing to murdering his wife. He starts of by stating that he was happily married to a nice beautiful woman, and the couple had many animals. Among those animals was a black cat named Pluto and this cat is the narrator’s favorite animal. The cat and the narrator established a great relationship and are almost inseparable. The narrator soon becomes an alcoholic and one day he returns from a town bar well intoxicated and tries to pet the cat. The cat tries to avoid him in fear of violence and when the man grabs the cat, it bites him in the hand. Out of fury, the narrator cuts out one of his eyes. The next day the man realizes what he did and ...

Intergroup Relations: Types of Prejudice

Types of Prejudice PSY322 Intergroup Relations Jonathan Cadieux Outline †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Model of Prejudice Sexism Overweight Sexual Orientation Ageism Fiske Prejudice Model ? 4 Types of Groups ? Based on Competence and Warmth ? Competence: perceived group status ? Warmth: perceived competition ? Group 1: Incompetent but warm ? Low status, not competitive ? Results in Paternalistic Prejudice ? Group 2: Incompetent and not warm – Low status, competitive – Results in Contemptuous Prejudice Group 3: Competent but not warm – High status, competitive – Results in Envious Prejudice Group 4: Competent and warm – High status, not competitive – Results in Admiration ? Fiske Prejudice Model Competence Envious Prejudice Jews, Asians, Feminists, Wealthy people Warmth High Admiration In-group, Close allies Low High Welfare recipients, Poor people Contemptuous Prejudice Elderly, Disabled, Housewives Low Paternalistic Prejudice What A bout Working Moms? Competence Envious Prejudice Jews, Asians, Feminists, Wealthy people Warmth High Admiration In-group, Close allies Low High Welfare recipients, Poor people Contemptuous Prejudice Elderly, Disabled, HousewivesLow Paternalistic Prejudice Stereotypes of Working Moms Cuddy, Fiske, & Glick (2004) †¢ How are working moms viewed compared to working dads and working women without children? †¢ Ps rated fictitious targets – Competence, warmth, likelihood of professional rewards – Target: either male/female with a child or not †¢ Predictions from Fiske Prejudice Model – Working moms would be viewed as housewives are viewed: warm & incompetent – Working moms: warmer but less competent than working women without kids – Fewer professional rewards for working moms Stereotypes of Working MomsCuddy, Fiske, & Glick (2004) Gender Gap in the Workplace †¢ Women accounted for only 14. 4% of executive positions – Source: 2010 Catalyst Census: Fortune 500 Women Board Directors and the 2010 Catalyst Census: Fortune 500 Women Executive Officers and Top Earners †¢ Women continue to earn less than men. For example, female managers earned 81 cents for every dollar earned by male managers in 2007 (Source: U. S. Govt Acctountability Office) On the other hand†¦ Sexism and gender roles †¢ Differences in wages are due to sexism, but this appears to operate differently than through overt discrimination. Sexism in the definition of gender roles seem to be at the root of discrepancies in wages. †¢ Potential solutions : – Encouraging women to enter higher paying fields (currently â€Å"male-dominated†) †¢ Stereotype threat? – Encouraging more equitable share of household chores and family caretaking . †¢ Maternity = Paternity leaves? Sexism †¢ Definition †¢ Types of sexism – Old-fashioned †¢ Endorse traditional gender roles & gender stereotypes à ¢â‚¬ ¢ Believe in different treatment of men & women – Modern †¢ Less blatant; denial of discrimination against women †¢ Nonsupport of programs & legislation to help women Benevolent vs. Hostile †¢ Benevolent: positive but stereotyped views; paternalistic †¢ Hostile: negative attitudes; belief in inferiority Old-fashioned sexism Old fashioned sexism For those of you who think it was half a century ago†¦ For those of you who think it was half a century ago†¦ Stigma of Overweight †¢ Overweight stereotype – Lazy, lack self-control, unattractive, slow †¢ Stigma is experienced differently – Seen as controllable †¢ Outcomes for overweight – Held accountable for negative outcomes – More openly derogated – Prejudiced against own group Well-being of the Overweight Quinn & Crocker (1999) Exp. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Role of Protestant Ethic (PE) Implications for overweight women Exp. 1: Correlationa l Study Independent Variables – Protestant Ethic, weight status (normal, somewhat overweight, very overweight) †¢ Dependent Variable: well-being Quinn & Crocker (1999) Exp. 1 Results Well-being of the Overweight Quinn & Crocker (1999) Exp. 2 †¢ Primed PE or inclusion – Mood effects of media messages – Read paragraph that primed PE or inclusion – Read another article that discussed negative social effects of being overweight †¢ Independent Variables – Prime condition, weight status (normal, overweight) Dependent Variables: well-being (post – pre), appearance SE (post only) Quinn & Crocker (1999): Psychological Well-Being Exp. 2: Well-being 1. 5 1 0. 5 Normal Weight Overweight 0 -0. 5 -1 -1. 5 Protestant Ethic Prime Inclusive Prime Quinn & Crocker (1999): Appearance Self-Esteem Exp. 2: Appearance Self-Esteem 3. 6 3. 5 3. 4 3. 3 3. 2 3. 1 3 2. 9 2. 8 2. 7 Normal Weight Overweight Protestant Ethic Prime Inclusive Prime Obesity in Canada Antigay Prejudice †¢ Forms of discrimination – Legal rights, hate crimes †¢ Heterosexism †¢ Current attitudes – Sex differences – Characteristics of high prejudicedAntigay prejudice in the Real World †¢ ‘The Voice’ Coach Makes â€Å"anti-gay† slur 34-year old The Voice Coach and country singer, Blake Shelton has gotten himself into hot water for making an anti-gay slur. It all started on Tuesday, when Shelton, Tweeted his own version of Shania Twain’s Any Mine of Mine: †Any man that tries touching my behind, he’s gonna be a beaten, bleedin’, heaving kind of guy. † Antigay prejudice in the Real World †¢ Tracy Morgan Apologizes for Anti-Gay Slurs †¢ (†¦)the alleged remarks during the show included how he would react violently if his son were gay and used â€Å"a gay oice,† that the gay community should â€Å"not be whining about something as insignificant as bull ying,† and he allegedly added, â€Å"Gay is something that kids learn from the media and programming. † Antigay prejudice in the Real World †¢ Gay rights group to launch complaint over ‘homophobic' comments by RDS (TV Sports) analysts †¢ Mailhot, a former provincial assistant deputy minister, and Goldberg, were discussing the skating of Johnny Weir, the flamboyant 23-year-old and three -time U. S. champion . – â€Å"This may not be politically correct, but do you think he lost points due to his costume and his body language? – â€Å"They'll think all the boys who skate will end up like him,† he said. â€Å"It sets a bad example. † – â€Å"We should make him (Weir) pass a gender test at this point,† Goldberg said, and Mailhot then jokingly suggested Weir should compete in the women's competition. Impact of Antigay prejudice †¢ Suicide risks – Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth 4 times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers (Massachusetts Youth Risk Survey 2007). – More than 1/3 of LGB youth report having made a suicide attempt (D’Augelli AR – Clinical Child Psychiatry and Psychology 2002) LGB youth who come from highly rejecting families are more than 8 times as likely to have attempted suicide than LGB peers who reported no or low levels of family rejection (Ryan C, Huebner D, et al. , 2009) – Visit http://www. thetrevorproject. org/ for more info on this issue. Canadian Students’ Attitudes toward Homosexuals (Schellenberg, Hirt, & Sears, 1999) †¢ University of Windsor students †¢ Completed short version of Attitudes toward Lesbians & Men scale – E. g. â€Å"Female homosexuality is a sin†, â€Å"I think male homosexuals are disgusting† †¢ Did attitudes vary by: – Gender, faculty, year in school? Predictions – Science or Business < Arts & Social Science – Men < W omen – 1st Year < 4th Year Canadian Students’ Attitudes toward Homosexuals (Schellenberg, Hirt, & Sears, 1999) Canadian Students’ Attitudes toward Homosexuals (Schellenberg, Hirt, & Sears, 1999) Stereotype Threat and Sexual Orientation Bosson, Haymovitz, & Pinel (2004) †¢ Gay and heterosexual male undergrads †¢ Primed sexual orientation or not †¢ Interacted with 4-6 year old children for 5 min – Interaction videotaped and coded for: †¢ Non-verbal anxiety †¢ Childcare performance †¢ Prediction? Non-verbal Anxiety Bosson et al. 2004) Childcare Performance Bosson et al. (2004) How can we change this? †¢ One way could be by confronting anti-gay behaviour/speech whenever we see/hear it. CONFRONTATION OF PREJUDICE †¢ â€Å"Verbally or nonverbally expressing one’s dissatisfaction with prejudicial and discriminatory treatment to the person who is responsible for making the remark or behavior ’’ (Shelto n, Richeson, Salvatore, & Hill, 2006, p. 67). Confrontation of Prejudice – Previous Work †¢ Almost exclusively with Sexism and Racism confrontation †¢ Little work done with anti-gay prejudice Confrontation of racial and gender biasCzopp, Monteith (2003) Study 2 †¢ Imagined setting (read scenario) †¢ IV : Racist remark or Sexist remark †¢ Testing for moderating role of the race or gender of the person confronting. Results Czopp, Monteith (2003) PERSUASIVE LIKEABLE THREAT GUILT AND NEG. SELF PERSUASIVE LIKEABLE THREAT Results Czopp, Monteith (2003) PERSUASIVE LIKEABLE THREAT GUILT AND NEG. SELF PERSUASIVE LIKEABLE THREAT Results Czopp, Monteith (2003) GUILT AND NEG. SELF Confrontation of racial and gender bias Czopp, Monteith (2003) †¢ General conclusion – Sexism and racism not equal – Non-target group members have a unique pportunity for prejudice reduction Other Findings Czopp, Monteith (2006), Rasinski, Czopp (2010) LIKEABLE LIKEAB LE Other Findings †¢ Confrontation is effective : reduces further biased responses in all participants (Czopp, Monteith, Mark, 2006) †¢ Witnesses rate non-target confronters as more persuasive, and more positive than target confronters (Rasinski & Czopp, 2010) Cadieux & Chasteen (2013) †¢ 136 Participants recruited from PSY100 (47 males, 89 females; Age M=18. 9, SD=1. 92) †¢ Read a script of an IM chat log and were told that we are looking at how social media affects everyday communication Scripts included either an antigay comment that : 1) 2) †¢ The confronter was either gay, straight, or did not have his orientation divulged and this was hinted to the participant on a profile page (Facebook) : †¢ A) †¢ B) †¢ C) †¢ Profiles were pilot tested to get baseline evaluations of likeability, masculinity, femininity, attractiveness, etc. Experimental conditions Sexual orientation Scenario – Straight – Comment WITH Confrontation â €“ Gay – Comment WITHOUT Confrontation – Undisclosed Results MAIN EFFECT (c) F(1,130)=3. 77, p=. 05 ? 2=. 028 Results MAIN EFFECT (o) F(2,130)=76. 31, p

Reason of Apple’s Success

The Success Of Apple: Above And Beyond Its Technology Over the weekend I was in an Apple store in northern New Jersey. It made me very uncomfortable. See, I’m a PC guy. A staunch Windows user, from Windows 3. 1 to 95 to 98 to NT to XP to Vista (ouch) to the current Windows 7 (did I miss any? ). However, I’m dabbling in the dark side, using an iPad (in addition to other devices such as a BlackBerry Playbook and a few Android phones). On a recent trip I broke the glass of my iPad. Hence my trip to the Apple store.As I was waiting for someone from technical support (called the Apple Genius bar) to help me, I observed Apple up close and personal. Here are a couple of things I noticed that have, no doubt, played key roles in Apple’s success. Happy staff = happy customers The whole staff was excited and happy to help customers. I observed one young lady in particular, an Apple staff member, who continually and genuinely smiled as she helped customers. She warmly greete d one customer after another and helped them work through their problems with a spark of excitement.Another lady adorned in big earrings and big glasses reminded me of a concierge at a high-end New York hotel. Friendly, professional and excited to help. In another incident, a customer came in and had a question about using her product in another country. I overheard an Apple manager suggest to a staff member that he call someone in the country to which the customer was headed, to get the answer she needed! How many retailers would take the time to make a phone call (to another country! ) to help out a customer on the retail floor? A chaotically smooth in-store processOver the course of my life, I’ve had the privilege of being around several U. S. Presidents. For obvious reasons, there is always a lot of commotion, activity and security around the President. However, all of this fuss is carefully choreographed by the U. S. Secret Service, the White House advance team and other s. To an outsider it might look like confusion, but as you look closer you see there’s a very detailed plan of action in place. This is how it was in the Apple store. Their were dozens of customers milling around, all with different needs.There were customers with pre-scheduled appointments at the Genius bar, walk-ins in need of technical support, those simply making retail purchases and people trying out new products—and everyone saw immediate attention from passionate and very knowledgeable staff members. What was also interesting was that all of the sales staff on the floor had the ability to process credit card sales with their iPhones, an innovation that is not seen at most retailers. Instead of standing in line for the cashier, the cashier comes to you and processes your transaction on the spot: pretty neat (and efficient). Also Case Study will describe why Apple Inc. is a very successful company.So what happened with my cracked iPad? Since the iPad was relatively new, the Apple representative said he would make an exception and gave me a new one. The entire process took about 10 minutes. I was fully expecting to pay $200 to get it fixed. So I was pleasantly surprised. Clearly, Apple’s products are well designed, easy to use and fun. However, the products are only one part of Apple’s success. The other part is the ease of doing business (that is, making the purchase and receiving support) that Apple delivers so harmoniously to its customers Reasons Apple Is So Successful One of the more interesting questions I get asked about as an industry analyst who’s followed Apple since 1981 is why Apple is so successful. It’s an honest question because to those unfamiliar with Apple, the company’s rise and current dominance in non-PC devices is somewhat puzzling. Most people have a working understanding of the fact that Apple lost the PC wars to Microsoft, and only nominally understand that when Apple created the iPod and then the iPhone, the company started to go in a new direction.And anyone who’s gone into an Apple store knows full well that Apple’s customer service and stores represent the gold standard for selling and supporting tech gadgets. But beyond that, the reasons why Apple is really successful are still a mystery to many. (MORE: 50 Best iPhone Apps 2012) There are plenty of books about Apple that talk about everything from Steve Jobs’ history to tenets of Apple’s business models to secrets about Apple’s internal-management ideas.However, after years of watching Apple up close and personal and having to deal with every one of their CEOs, as well as interacting with various Apple execs over the years, I would like to suggest that the reasons the company is successful can be boiled down to six key principles that make it very hard for competitors to compete with Apple. 1. For any product that Apple creates, the people who create it have to want it themselves So many times with projects I do with other tech companies, the goal is almost always based around the technology first, followed by whether or not people really want to use it.Geeky engineers are dazzled by the technology at their disposal and often create something because they can. But Apple’s approach is quite different. The engineers who are creating Apple products actually make them for themselves. And Jobs was the chief â€Å"user† of Apple products when he was alive. All of Apple’s products are based on the fact that Jobs represented the real customer. And his engineers had to come to grips with that when designing a product. It has to be something that they personally couldn’t live without. 2. The products have to be easy to useJobs was a stickler on this point. While industrial design is a critical component of any product Apple makes, if it is not easy to use, it is considered worthless to the consumer. This is what drove the company’s user-interface designs from Day 1 and is still the mantra pushed to the software and hardware engineers every day they go to work. All of the products they create have to be intuitive and easy to understand and learn. As technology has become more intricate and users want more features, the task of keeping things simple is sometimes difficult.And Apple creates tools for power users and rookies, which can mean a broad range of ease-of-use issues. But even with that, Apple is the only company I deal with where ease of use is more important than the product itself. Apple makes this a critical goal of its approach to creating anything for the market. (PHOTOS: The Apple II Turns 35) 3. Keep things simple I was in Paris in the past two weeks and had talks with various French telecommunications officials about many mobile-computing issues. But one conversation I had in particular emphasizes this keep-it-simple point.We were discussing how to compete with Apple — a major pastime for all Apple competitors and carriers these days — when the question of why Apple is really successful came up. And one exec nailed it when he said he felt that the real reason Apple is successful is because it has one product; in this case the iPhone. It minimizes the decisionmaking process for the consumer by making things simple. The person speaking was with a carrier in France, and he said that in their stores, they have to have as many as 25 different models of phones available.That makes it hard for his staff to be really knowledgeable about all of them all of the time, and their customers just have too many options to choose from. But Apple only has one iPhone model, and anyone who has gone into an Apple store understands that every staff member there knows a great deal about each of the four major products carried in its stor es. Apple doesn’t have five iPhone models to choose from; it has only one. While this may seem limiting given the amount of smart phones available to users, the truth is the reverse.Our company has done consumer research for over 30 years, and consumers constantly tell us that while choice is nice, in reality they want the process of choosing a tech product to be simple and not complicated by a plethora of choices. Yes, there are tech-savvy people who like more choices and sometimes even like complexity, but from years of experience as a market researcher, I can tell you that in the end, the majority of users are not tech-savvy, and keeping things simple for them is a plus. Apple understands this in spades and is never tempted to add multiple versions of an iPhone, iPad or even more than one or two types of iPods.This makes buying an Apple product simple. And consumers seem to appreciate this considering the huge number of iDevices that are sold each year. I know the tech med ia and techies are the most vocal about this issue of choice, but in the end, while choice is good for competitive pricing, what nontechie consumers really want is simplicity. (MORE: The Inventor Of the Future) 4. Offer great customer service and in-store experiences Jobs understood one of the major conundrums of technology: even if you create products that are easy to use, the variety of things that people want to use technology for often creates complexity.Because of this, consumers at all levels may need some hand holding from time to time. I was one of the most vocal critics of Apple when it introduced its first retail store in Tokyo in 2002. I thought it was crazy for Apple to try and go into retail. At the time, and even today, tech retail stores are in decline while big-box stores like Costco and Walmart sell products on price and nothing else. I thought that if price were the issue, an upscale retail store would be DOA. Wow, were other naysayers and I wrong about Appleâ€⠄¢s retail strategy. Apple uses this conundrum to its advantage.Because it keeps product SKUs simple, the salespeople inside the stores know the products really well. Notice that when you go into an Apple store and are greeted by one of the sales staff, you’re not asked, â€Å"How can I help you? † Instead they ask, â€Å"What would you like to do today? † They go right to the heart of any technology user’s question, a question that’s always related to what they want to do with the technology the user is interested in. And once you explain your needs, they take care of it on the spot in most cases. Or if you need more hand holding, they turn you over to the Apple Geniuses.No wonder 50% of people buying Apple products are new to Apple. Apple’s products are simple to understand and use, but if you do have a problem, Apple can take care of it at their stores or over the phone quickly. (PHOTOS: Apple Announces New iPad) 5. Apple only makes a pro duct if Apple can do it better Apple normally doesn’t invent a new product or product category. Sure, the company did invent the first commercial PC with the Apple II, and the Mac improved on PCs with a graphical user interface and mouse input. But since then, all of Apple’s other products have been recreations of existing products.Apple did not invent the MP3 player; Apple reinvented it and made it better. Apple did not invent the smart phone; Apple reinvented it and made it better. And Apple did not invent the tablet; Apple reinvented it and made it better. As Apple designer Jonathan Ive said recently, â€Å"Our goals are very simple — to design and make better products. If we can’t make something that is better, we won’t do it. † Clearly, Apple applied that thinking first to iPods, then smart phones and more recently, to the iPad. 6. Apple stays at least two years ahead of its competitors This is the one that scares Apple’s competi tors the most.While those competing with Apple are just getting products to market that are competitive, Apple is already working on the products at least two years out. For example, the new iPhone that will most likely go to market in October was designed and signed off on two years ago. And the iPhone the company is working on now is for the fall of 2014. The same goes for the iPad. The new iPad that we will most likely see next March was signed off on two years ago. The one that’s being worked on now we will probably see in 2015. This is a nightmare for Apple’s competitors and will continue to be for some time. (MORE: What Would Steve Jobs Do? Besides having geniuses in design, software and retail, Apple also has the cash to invent components, manufacturing processes and things like that, which almost makes it impossible for the competition to make any real headway against Apple. And don’t let the fact that Android has become the No. 1 smart-phone operating s ystem make you think that it’s the big winner. Yes, Android has gained ground by the sheer numbers of companies and products pushing Android. But the real measure of success is in the profits, and Apple is making as much as 70% of all the profits in smart phones and about 85% of the profits in tablets.Just ask any Android competitor which they would like more, market share or profits. You’ll get the answer relating to the real measure of success in this market. These six principles may seem a bit simplistic given the fact that Apple also has great software, industrial design and a powerful ecosystem of content, apps and services as part of the company’s success equation. However, I can tell you that from my three decades of following Apple, it’s these six key principles that are what really makes it successful.And as long as it adheres to them, it’s pretty likely that Apple will continue to grow and command a relatively large share of the market in the company’s product categories where it competes. Bajarin is the president of Creative Strategies Inc. , a technology-industry-analysis and market-intelligence firm in Silicon Valley The secret of Apple's success: simplicity Apple's success – driven by the vision of Steve Jobs – has been to distil its ideas to their essence. By contrast, too many companies are overly complicated [pic] Steve Jobs speaks during an Apple special event in 2010 in Cupertino, California.Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Apple's package-design team had just returned from its presentation to Steve Jobs, and the faces told the story – they had that â€Å"things didn't go exactly as we planned† look. â€Å"The suspense is killing me,† I said to the project leader. â€Å"How'd it go this morning? † â€Å"Well,† he said, â€Å"Steve hit us with the Simple Stick. † Translation: Jobs had rejected their work – not because it was bad bu t because, in some way, it failed to distil the idea to its essence. The person leading the project had directed the team to create packaging for two versions of the same product.Jobs had decided this was brain-dead. â€Å"Just combine them,† he said. â€Å"One product, one box. † There was no need to explore the idea of a second package. He was right. It was simpler, quicker, better. The conversation was over in minutes, and it left one very smart and talented group of people wondering why they hadn't thought of that before. The Simple Stick symbolises a core value within Apple. Sometimes it's held up as inspiration; other times it's wielded like a caveman's club: a deep, almost religious belief in the power of simplicity. If you're prepared to do battle with complexity, you'll have no trouble finding a fight.Chances are you're surrounded by it. Unless you work in the rarest of environments, complexity lives inside your organisation's hierarchy, its goals, and probabl y most of your colleagues as well. If your company ever fails, you can be sure it won't be the fault of simplicity – it will be the result of its absence. Think brutal Clarity propels an organisation. Not occasional clarity but pervasive, 24-hour, in-your-face, take-no-prisoners clarity. Most people never perceive that this is lacking in their organisation, but 90% of the time it is. Just open a few random emails, activate your â€Å"brutal-vision†, and read.The muddying messages are rampant. If people were brutally honest in their emails, the time we spend sorting through our in-boxes would surely decrease by half. Steve Jobs demanded straightforward communication from others as much as he dished it out himself. He'd cut you off if you rambled. He ran his business as if there were precious little time to waste, which well reflected the reality for Apple – as surely it does for any company serious about competing. This is probably the one element of Simplicity t hat's easiest to institute. Just be honest and never hold back.Demand the same from those you work with. You'll make some people squirm, but everyone will know where they stand; 100% of your group's time will be focused on forward progress – no need to decode what people are really saying. There is a general perception that Jobs was the nasty tyrant who demanded allegiance, barked commands, and instilled the fear of God in those around him. While Jobs certainly did exhibit these behaviours, this portrait is incomplete. The man could also be funny, warm, and even charming. There is a huge difference between being brutally honest and simply being brutal.You can't let yourself be talked into going along with something when you know it can be better. Ever. To settle for second best is a violation of the rules of simplicity, and it plants the seeds for disappointment, extra work, and more meetings. Most disturbing, it puts you in the worst possible business position: having to def end an idea you never believed in. Your challenge is to become unbending when it comes to enforcing your standards. Mercilessly so. If you submit only the work you believe in 100% and approve only the work you believe in 100%, you own something that no one can take away from you: integrity.As often happens in life, one must often suffer the consequences of doubting before becoming a believer. I'm not proud of it, but that's the way I learned my lesson about standards. There was a certain amount of theatre that went on inside Apple. The rules were well known, and a number of dramas played out with predictability. That Jobs was intolerant of stupidity is a matter of record. He wasn't at all polite when stupidity reared its ugly head. He especially wasn't fond of employing stupidity, so if you were on Apple's staff and wanted to retain that status, it was wise not to display your lack of smarts in a meeting with him.You'd just set him off and get it right between the eyes. A former App le senior staffer remembers a routine that he saw played out often during his time as a direct report to Jobs. He calls it â€Å"the rotating turret†. There was no predicting when it would happen, as it depended on how conversations evolved. But in some meeting, at some random time, some poor soul in the room would say something that everyone in the room could tell was going to light Jobs's fuse. First came the uncomfortable pause.The offending comment would reverberate in the air, and it would seem as if the entire world went into slow motion as Jobs's internal sensors fixed on the origin of the sound wave. You could almost hear the meshing of gears as his â€Å"turret† slowly turned toward the guilty party. Everyone knew what was coming—but was powerless to stop it. Finally, the turret would lock on to its target. In a split second Jobs would activate his firing mechanism, and without a second thought he'd unload all his ammunition. It was uncomfortable to wat ch and even more uncomfortable to experience, but at Apple it was just a fact of life.Think small How many overpopulated meetings do you sit through in a year? How many of those meetings get sidetracked or lose focus in a way that would never occur if the group were half the size? The small group rule requires enforcement, but it's worth the cost. Out in the real world, when I talk about small groups of smart people, I rarely get any pushback. That's because common sense tells us it's the right way to go. Most people know from experience that the fastest way to lose focus, squander valuable time, and water down great ideas is to entrust them to a larger group.Just as we know that there is equal danger in putting ideas at the mercy of a large group of approvers. One reason why large, unwieldy groups tend to be created in many companies is that the culture of a company is bigger than any one person. It's hard to change â€Å"the way we do things here†. This is where the zealots of simplicity need to step in and overcome the inertia. One must be judicious and realistic about applying the small-group principle. Simply making groups smaller will obviously not solve all problems, and â€Å"small† is a relative term.Only you know your business and the nature of your projects, so only you can draw the line between too few people and too many. You need to be the enforcer and be prepared to hit the process with the Simple Stick when the group is threatened with unnecessary expansion. In one iconic technology company with which I worked I found a framed sign in every conference room designed to nudge the employees toward greater productivity. The headline on the sign was how to have a successful meeting. The content read like it came right out of a corporate manual, which it likely did.It featured a bullet-pointed list of things like: â€Å"State the agenda at the start of your meeting,† â€Å"Encourage participation by all attendees,† and â⠂¬Å"Conclude your meeting with agreement on next steps†. What these signs really said, though, was: â€Å"Welcome to a very big company! Just follow these signs and you'll fit in well. † It's not hard to imagine Jobs, who actively fought big-company behaviour, gleefully ripping these signs off the wall and replacing them with Ansel Adams prints that might provide a moment of reflection or inspiration. If you ever work at Apple there will be no signs on the wall telling you how to run a meeting.Likewise, there will be no signs telling you how to tie your shoes or fill a glass of water. The assumption is that you are well equipped with brains and common sense and that you're a fully functioning adult. If you're not already a disciple of simplicity, you'll become one soon. Either that, or you'll decide you'd rather not be part of such a thing, which is okay too. Simplicity prefers not having to train a bucking bronco. If big companies really feel compelled to put something on their walls, a better sign might read: How to Have a Great Meeting 1. Throw out the least necessary person at the table. . Walk out of this meeting if it lasts more than 30 minutes. 3. Do something productive today to make up for the time you spent here. Think clarity This is an area where just about every business needs more work. Words are powerful, but more words are not more powerful – they're often just confusing. Understand that in your company's internal business and in communications with your customers, dissertations tend to drive people away. Though many writers never seem to grasp the point, using intelligent words does not necessarily make you appear smarter.The best way to make yourself or your company look smart is to express an idea simply and with perfect clarity. No matter who your audience is, it's more effective to communicate as people do naturally. In simple sentences. Using simple words. Simplicity is its own form of cleverness – saying a grea t deal by saying little. Think human Unless you're in the business of sterilising things, business is no place to be sterile. Have the boldness to look beyond numbers and spreadsheets and allow your heart to have a say in the matter. Bear in mind that the intangibles are every bit as real as the metrics – are often even more important.The simplest and most effective way to connect with human beings is to speak with a human voice. It may be necessary in your business to market to specific target groups, but bear in mind that every target is a human being, and human beings respond to simplicity. Best advice: Just be true to your species. This is an edited extract from Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success by Ken Segall (Portfolio Penguin, ? 14. 99) or at Guardian Bookshop for ? 11. 99 Doing business the Steve Jobs way It's natural for people to be resistant to change, large or small, so trying to change attitudes within an organisation can be difficult.But when you spread the word about the value of simplicity you are not spreading some oddball theory, you're echoing one of the most successful people in business history, Steve Jobs (right). If you refer to the benefits Apple has enjoyed by embracing simplicity, and make the appropriate parallels to your own business, you'll build a compelling case. You can spread the religion of simplicity project by project, by interacting with people and groups one at a time. Getting people to buy into a concept to the point where they start contributing their own ideas can literally create a movement within an organisation.Simplicity is a way of looking at every part of your job, the jobs of those around you, and the way your company operates. Once you start seeing the world through the lens of simplicity you'll be astounded at how many opportunities exist to improve the way your business works What are the Keys to Apple’s Success in Emerging Technologies? by Bill Halal [pic]Apple did not co me by its present success easily. Before the iPod, iPhone, and iPad became profitable icons of high-tech fashion, Steve Jobs suffered a long series of failures.Apple’s Pippin game player, the Next computer, Apple TV, the Lisa computer, the Newton PDA, and the Apple mouse are among the many products that are barely known because they were dismal flops. For many years, there were serious doubts if Apple could survive the battles it was losing to competitors like Microsoft. In contrast, Apple is now expected to sell 30 million iPads in 2011 — two-thirds of all tablet computers sold globally. Although the iPhone is fighting off 90 different smart phones, Apple’s sales are up 60% and could reach 100 million iPhones in 2011.The source of this staying power is seen in the fact that the Apple iPhone has the highest consumer satisfaction scores ever recorded. Apple’s profits exceed those of IBM, and it is considered one of the most Innovative and valuable companie s in the world, Such stunning success always raises questions over its origins. How did a struggling company run by a charismatic but somewhat erratic CEO learn to excel in the brutal battle among emerging technologies? Can the factors of this success be identified and used to guide others? The most striking conclusion about Apple’s rise is that Steve Jobs learned bitter but crucial lessons from failure.After years of autocratic leadership, dismal sales, and temperamental behavior demoralized the company, John Sculley became CEO in 1985 and Jobs was sent into the computing wilderness. For 12 years, he suffered losses such as the Next computer, which was overpriced and sold only 50,000 units in seven years. When Jobs returned to head Apple, he had learned to focus on good design, to treat people well, and to develop winning strategy. Tim Bajarin, president of a consulting firm, said â€Å"[Steve Jobs] would not have been successful if he hadn’t gone through his wildern ess experience. The main lesson from Apple’s success, however, is the central importance of focusing on strong products that are well-designed for the market. Jobs is a genius at minimalist designs that integrate technology breakthroughs to fill a newly emerging need with unusual style. He thinks success requires â€Å"listening to the technology† in order to â€Å"discover† the potential products waiting to be invented. The result can be seen in the way Jobs describes the attraction of the iPad – â€Å"It’s like holding the Internet in your hands,† he told a crowd. It’s so much more intimate than a laptop and more capable than an iPhone. It’s truly magical. † This keen sense of anticipating where emerging technologies are leading comprises the central talent that allowed Jobs to create revolutionary breakthroughs like the first personal computer (Apple 1), the first graphical interface (Mac), the first Unix PC (Next), th e first successor to Sony’s Walkman (iPod), the first online music store (iTunes), the first widely used smart phone (iPhone), and the first successful tablet (iPad).Serious processes are needed to closely follow advances in technologies that will impact your organization and to find creative new solutions for the market. That’s why Apple does far less conventional product research than other companies, and focuses instead on product discovery. Here’s how Jobs described his approach: If I had asked someone who only used a calculator what a Mac should be like, they couldn’t have told me. There’s no way to do consumer research so I had to go and create it, and then show it to them. Behind such great products, Apple thrives because it has been described as a â€Å"well-oiled machine. † Jobs learned to delegate, so his COO, Tim Cook, now runs a tight ship, and a cadre of managers and designers have learned to â€Å"think like Steve. † The company has outsourced its manufacturing operations, while 317 Apple stores are wildly popular and profitable. The Apple music store – iTunes – has expanded into a powerful vehicle for trading videos, movies, and possibly other information products.Even with these stunning achievements, Apple faces enormous new challenges as competition among other smart phones and tablets heats up. There are at least 20 versions of Android phones alone, slowly taking Apple’s market share. In 2011, Americans will buy more Androids than iPhones. The main issue, of course, is what happens when Jobs’ illness requires a successor? Despite claims that Apple has institutionalized practices that foster creativity, innovation, good design, and other legacies of Steve Jobs, it is really impossible to replace true genius. When Jobs returned from the wilderness to save Apple, John Sculley