Digital Divide in US Essay

The Digital Divide in US seems to be decreasing due to increase in the use of internet and awareness about the benefits of the technology. Moreover the US government is providing internet access to poor areas of the countries. This can be asserted from the fact that there are 2 million new internet users each month in US. (Dickard, 2002, pg. 1) But at the same time the technological divide between the ethnic groups is still there. The internet access to blacks and Hispanics is half that of Whites and Asians. This is because Hispanics come from poor backgrounds with less income and less access to education. Therefore they lack the basic computer skills to take avail the opportunities of the technological age. However realizing the great potential market that Hispanics provide, marketers are now focusing their attention on this segment and this has resulted in high internet penetration among Hispanics. Yet, affordability and skills to use the technology still remains a problem for this segment. The level of education is also an important factor in US in distinguishing between digital haves and haves not. Only a few of the people from those who didn’t pass high school had internet access but nearly half of the graduates have the digital access and this figure increases with the levels of qualifications. The level on income also has an impact. According to a study only 25% of the poor US households are online compared to 80% of the rich households. (Whipp, 2005) Digital Divide in the World There is wide digital divide between rich and poor nations of the world. The western world including America, Europe and other northern states have wide access to information technology whereas this access is limited in southern regions of the world like Africa, India, Pakistan and other regions of South Asia. The reason for this digital divide among then nations is that the poor nations are already burdened with multiple economic and social problems like debt, hunger, poor health and education structure and therefore cannot benefit from the technological advancements. These countries cannot afford the high cost of investment in technology and its maintenance. Their already limited resources are spent in fulfilling their basic needs. (Ryder, 2003) However economic aspect is not the only cause of digital divide issue. The education levels and illiteracy is another explanation for the digital gap. Third world countries lack the skills to use the digital technology due to poor educational background. Majority of the people in this part of the world are illiterate and want easy solutions to their problems and often find the new technology too confusing and complex to use. (Rossi, 2007) The digital gap also exists because people do not take full advantage of the technology even if they can afford it and are literate enough to use it. They are simply not interested to use it. For example many people still prefer to go to physical stores for shopping even though online shopping option saves them money and time. (Nielsen, 2006) Bridging the Digital Divide One major solution to narrow down the digital gap is to reduce cost of technology which includes setup cost and maintenance costs and also the prices of PCs. This would result in more people having access to information and technology as they would be able to afford the access to internet. Another factor which is important is the development of technology skills and increasing technology literacy so that people know how to use the technology in right way even if they can afford it. But this can only be done if basic literacy is given through proper education structure. Another solution is providing content for users that are far away from technological access like Hispanics and South Asians. There is very little content online for many minority groups. Not only providing content for such users but also content that is in their local language. (Carvin, 2000) Many third world countries who are already struggling for basic needs do not welcome technology as they do not see it providing their basic needs and instead find it complex. To overcome this technology must be implemented so that it can help in their development and addresses their basic needs. Savishinsky, 2000) Overcoming this global digital gap is just not the role of one group. Public and Private organizations and NGOs need to work together to bridge the gap. Government needs to provide basic education structure to improve the literacy levels and also provide opportunities for technological investments. Private organizations and NGOs need to help in providing digital access to rural areas where people cannot afford the technology and are not mastered enough to use. They can do this by funding schools and households and proving basic technological skills. Role of IT Companies and Professionals IT companies and professionals can play an important role in bridging the digital gap. IT companies can focus on providing technology in low income and low literacy areas of their society. This can be done by providing technological devices at lower costs. Also IT professionals can train local people in using the technology and create high quality content that caters to the needs of the community. Conclusion Digital Divide is one of the greatest challenges faced by the governments of the world. On one side information and technology is helping the part of a society that afford digital access but on the other hand the other part of society is continuously being deprived of the benefits of technology. Digital Divide due to economic and educational divide seems to be widening. Therefore steps must be taken to narrow this gap so that everyone can utilize the benefits of the new digital age.

Vhdl for Synthesis

ELE591 – VHDL for Synthesis Issue 1. 0: 1st December 2010 The purpose of this laboratory experiment is to familiarise you with the principles of VHDL for synthesis targeted at programmable logic devices. You will observe how various VHDL descriptions result in Register Transfer Level (RTL) implementations and how these can be implemented within specific logic devices. The principles of back-annotation will also be explored and how this can be used to examine performance limitations of specific hardware resource mappings. This lab assumes you are already familiar with Xilinx ISE and ModelSim, given that ELE335 is a prerequisite for this module. If necessary, consult the ELE335 lab guide, which is included in the Coursework section of the ELE591 module webpage. Most of the VHDL files needed for this lab are also available from the same location. Exercise 1: Aim: To compare the results of different architectural descriptions for the same entity Steps: †¢ Create a project named â€Å"exercise1†. Add the file ex1a. vhd as a â€Å"VHDL module† †¢ Select the Spartan3 as the target device Compile and synthesise the VHDL description and examine the design report file, paying particular attention to the resource utilisation summary (and timing path analysis). Also examine the RTL design. †¢ Repeat with the files ex1b. vhd and ex1c. vhd and compare the results. Exercise 2: Aim: To illustrate the use of â€Å"don’t care† values in synthesis Steps: †¢ Create a proje ct named â€Å"exercise2†. Add the file docare. vhd as a â€Å"VHDL module† †¢ Compile and synthesise the design targeting the Spartan3 device †¢ Add the file dontcare. hd as a â€Å"VHDL module† and repeat the synthesis. †¢ Compare the report files. Exercise 3: Aim: To illustrate logic resource requirements for conditional versus mutually exclusive input conditions Steps: †¢ Create a project named â€Å"exercise3†. Add the file cond. vhd as a â€Å"VHDL module† †¢ Compile and synthesise the design targeting the Spartan3 device †¢ Add the file exclusiv. vhd as a â€Å"VHDL module† and repeat the synthesis. †¢ Compare the report files. Also compare the timings at the design logic level and at the place and route level. Exercise 4: Aim: To review resource and timing requirements of a complex reset function Steps: †¢ Create a project named â€Å"exercise4†. Add the file cntpt. vhd as a â€Å"VHDL module† †¢ Compile, synthesise and simulate the design targeting the Spartan3 device †¢ Review the report file paying particular attention to the reset equation. †¢ Now examine the file cntpt2. vhd which employs a synchronous complex reset. †¢ Attempt to simulate the designs and comment on the reset timing in both cases. Exercise 5: Aim: To compare CPLD and FPGA implementations of a FIFO design Steps: Create a project named â€Å"exercise5†. Add the file fifo. vhd as a â€Å"VHDL module† †¢ Compile and synthesise the design targeting the Spartan3 device †¢ Recompile the design for a Coolrunner2. †¢ Compare the report files and the resulting RTL layouts. †¢ Place and route both designs †¢ Compare the design files paying particular attention to the maximum operating frequency and the amount of resources used. Which timing parameter is the limiting factor on the operating frequency in each case? Exercise 6: Aim: To illustrate the effects of implicit memory Steps: †¢ Create a project named â€Å"exercise6†. Add the file memcont. vhd as a â€Å"VHDL module† †¢ Compile and synthesise the design targeting the Spartan3 device. †¢ Examine the report file. †¢ Add the file memcont2. vhd as a â€Å"VHDL module†. In this file the signal assignments for oe, we and addr are removed from under the reset condition. †¢ Compile and synthesise the design targeting the Spartan3 device. †¢ Compare the report file with that of the original design. Verify that implicit memory resulted in the creation of a combinatorial latch. Exercise 7: Aim: To illustrate the advantage of â€Å"one hot† encoding of large state-machines implemented in FPGA architectures Steps: †¢ Create a project named â€Å"exercise7†. Add the file onehot. vhd as a â€Å"VHDL module† †¢ Compile and synthesise the design targeting the Spartan3 device †¢ Place and route the design and record the number of logic cells required, the setup time, clock-to-output delay and maximum operating frequency. †¢ Now employ the file notonehot. vhd. This uses the synthesis tool to assign values to the various enumerated states. Compile and synthesise the updated design targeting the Spartan3 device. †¢ Place and route the design and record the number of logic cells required, the setup time, clock-to-output delay and maximum operating frequency. †¢ Compare the results with the original design. This series of experiments should be written up as an INDIVIDUAL formal lab report. The report will be limited to a maximum of 8 pages of main text (i. e. omitting title page etc). The hand-in date is the 17th December, unless you are informed otherwise.

The impacts of the recent recession on consumer behaviour with airline Dissertation

The impacts of the recent recession on consumer behaviour with airline industry - Dissertation Example In marketing management customers are the key concern. This means that understanding the behaviour pattern of the customers is essential for the managers. Traditional marketing management emphasized on product features and competitive positioning of the product (Abramovich, 2005). The conventional marketing management theory focuses on the customer relationship with the marketers of the company and the product value (Statt, 2011). The purchasing behaviour of the consumers relates strongly to the segmentation of the markets. There are three types of segmentation; geographic segmentation, psychographic segmentation and demographic segmentation. Geographic segmentation means to divide the market area according to the location of the potential customers. Psychographic segmentation means to segregate a consumer’s characteristics and behaviour. Demographic segmentation means the division of consumer groups according to variables such as wealth, gender, age and education level etc (B lythe, 2008). The managers of the company can strengthen their relationship with the consumers. The relational bonding between customers and employees will enable the managers to develop a product which will fulfil the consumer wants and needs. An established connection with the consumer provides the marketers information regarding the consumer behaviour. For example, the marketers would like to repurpose their products and services without hampering the core value of the product. This means that the marketers would meet the consumers’ needs without impacting the brand itself (Bjerre, Knudtzen and Heding, 2008). From basic necessities to luxury items, consumer purchasing behaviour is dependent on psychological influences of the customer which includes brand loyalty, changing attitude of the consumers etc (Vanhuele, Wright and East, 2013). Factors Affecting Consumer Behaviour during Recession 1) Economic Factors i) Personal income: If the personal income of the consumer is hig h and is not affected by the impact of the recession then the demand of the products will remain high. However, if the income of the consumer is affected by recession then the consumer will not buy the product or depend on its substitute whose price is lower. ii) Family income: The income of the family plays a significant role in the purchase decision making. A rise in the income of the family member will motivate another family member to increase his/her spending however, if there is fall in the income of the family member during recession then the spending of the family will decrease. During recession the family members spend on necessary items. iii) Government policy: During recession the government policy may change and have a significant impact of the economy. An increase in the price of the food items and non food items will make the consumer calculative. When there is a rise in price of the food items then consumers do not decrease their expenditure as food is a necessary ite m but they decrease their expenditure on other non food items (M.Trehan and R. Trehan, 2007). 2) Socio- cultural Factors i) Family: There is a significant impact of the family size and the structure on the consumer decision making. If the family size is large and there is an increase in the prices of the consumable items during recession, then the

Operation management of Tom Pulling Toys, a toy manufacturing company Essay

Operation management of Tom Pulling Toys, a toy manufacturing company - Essay Example The firm observed in the study is Tom Pulling Toys, an English toy manufacturing firm based in China. For a long time, it enjoyed positive market response maintaining the mantle of being at the helm of market leadership. However, as China develops and more toy manufacturing firms get set up, there appears to be a problem. The company’s performance has hit a snag in the recent past. This negative market response is attributed to the quality of the products that the firm produces. There is a great likelihood that the company has not been producing poor quality toys and this is evident in the high number of toys that clients return to the company with quality related defects. The fact that clients return defective toys to the shops was a clear indication of the fact that the company had been producing low quality toys. The problem under investigation, therefore, is to determine whether the speculation, that the production of poor quality toys is responsible for the poor performan ce of the company recently, is true. This is based on the fact that clients have been returning semi standard goods made by the company. In an attempt to determine this, the company is employing a quality regulating tool that is new to the firm and the market. This has been christened the statistical process control. To effectively carry out the test on the quality of the products from the company, the research used random sampling of the toys and one aspect of the quality that was put under tight scrutiny was the colour of the toys. For a period of thirty days, the research was run on the colour defective toys with each day having a total of two hundred toys being collected. For the very thirty days, three toys were randomly collected and their heights measured and recorded in centimetres. The study carried out on colour revealed major colour defects on the toys with lots of clients returning to the firm defective toys. Colour is an important aspect of marketing; the marketing depa rtment ought to have put into consideration the effects defective colours would have had on the company’s product. Below is a table showing fifteen days and an average of 3% of returned toys on the basis of colour alone. Sample Number Number Of Defectives Units Inspected Percentage Of Deformities 1 3 200 1.5 2 6 200 3 3 7 200 3.5 4 6 200 3 5 6 200 3 6 9 200 4.5 7 2 200 1 8 2 200 1 9 7 200 3.5 10 8 200 4 11 9 200 4.5 12 11 200 5.5 13 3 200 1.5 14 5 200 2.5 15 6 200 3 Discussion and Recommendations Quality plays an important role in determining the market position that a firm holds. In the past, Tom Pulling Toys was known as the quality leader in the market which meant greater revenue collection. However, competition is an aspect of business and as it increases so should a company find leverages over competitors which for Tom pulling company would have been the quality of their products. Unfortunately, the firm was reluctant in checking into this and the result was the declinin g financial returns. The study revealed that, in deed, the firm was not taking into account the

The Advertising Effect on Adolescents in Saudi Arabia and United Essay

The Advertising Effect on Adolescents in Saudi Arabia and United States - Essay Example This essay looks at historical and contemporary examples to research the gap in generational identity patterns and the conflict between traditional and modern values in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, widely considered to be one of the most conservative governments and political societies in the world. The availability and effect of modern media, particularly from Western sources of production, such as television, movies, and music in Saudi Arabia will be reviewed from contemporary reports and placed in the context of wider social change movements such as the â€Å"Arab Spring†, democratization, and reform that seemingly threaten traditional values and identities in the Kingdom. The introduction of Western and modern values or identity constructs through commercial advertizing will also be analyzed with reference to youth movements and new developments in the Saudi economy resulting from lifestyle pattern changes. The economic and social results of this process will be further re lated in context to the issues of globalization, democratization, and modernization as they portend a change in values in Saudi Arabian culture. The emphasis of this study will be in analyzing the effect of advertising on Saudi adolescents particularly, as this is psychologically when the most important aspects of personal character definition are formed, and socially this represents the time period when human individuals are most open to experimentation with patterns of identity, character, and personality formation. The research methodology of this essay will include a comparison of research into adolescent identity structures and behavior in the U.S. and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in order to determine the similarities and differences between the two experiences both subjectively and objectively. Rather than assuming that Saudi and American youth culture will develop on the same patterns of expression, the essay will instead look to build an understanding of the similarities and differences between the two adolescent experiences referencing the mainstream national culture and its values as the main social variable to which individual experience reacts, conforms, or rebels personally. The essay concludes with a review of the ways that both local and global mass-media values influence adolescent identity patterns in Saudi Arabia, and the way that these expressions differ fundamentally from adolescent experience in the USA due to the different constitutional historical and religious beliefs of both cultures. Modernity and Saudi Arabia The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the most traditional countries on earth currently due to the combined effects of the political monarchy and royal system which rules as a protector of the religious and cultural values of Islam, represented in the most sacred holy places of the religion. The yearly travel of millions of Muslims to Saudi Arabia annually for the Hajj pilgrimage and to visit the holy places of Islam has made th e country the traditional center for international Arabic learning. The protection of the holy places and Islam is arguably the highest duty that the Saudi

Art of Viewing Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Art of Viewing Art - Essay Example two extremely large factors that are nowadays driving our life; people are constantly in the search of their true identity without witnessing any judgments. Thus, the advancement of technology is playing an effective role in new identity representations. There is a correlation with the height of the trans-rights movement in a time where both creation and identity building are eased through the use of Internet. This idea breaks the norm and the dangers of self-creation by enabling the construct and manifest of an identity that is often seen as off-limits or not â€Å"correct† in the physical world. The artwork named as Juliana is in the form of a human figure, resting on a raised surface. The motivation behind the creation of this human figure is Juliana Huxtable, a renowned artist. Mark Guiducci stated that, â€Å"Frank Benson saw a photograph of Huxtable’s first Nuwaubian persona two years ago and asked her to model for him around that time† (n. pag.). Besides, this artwork surprises the viewers because of its life-size image and the cunning amalgamation of 3D printing with sculpture making. Similarly, the sculpture is in naked form, projecting sexual organs. Besides, this artwork represents the visual symbol of self-creation, inherent in the character (Juliana Huxtable) and his/her identity in the society as a transgender. On the other side, the artwork named as Untitled in the Rage is in the form of a photograph. Apart from the first artwork, this artwork exploits the scope of self-portrait. To be specific, the artist made use of her own body to represent her real identity. Besides, this artwork is symbolic of the rich tradition of Africa and its amalgamation with American culture in general. But the first artwork is symbolic of the scope of 3D printing and the second artwork is symbolic of the scope self-portrait and photography within art. In short, both the artworks belong to different genres, but the theme is same. The mastermind behind this sculpture (3D

Organization Balanced Scorecard Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Organization Balanced Scorecard - Assignment Example re is revenue growth by proposing income generating projects, operation on the profit growth and ensuring determining the short term solvency of the company. These objectives are in line with the vision of the company as they ensure which is offering low prices to the consumers. The company makes sure that it capitalizes on the large market by selling its products at lower prices. The need for a balanced scorecard in order to determine whether the company is headed in the right direction in terms of profitability cannot be understated. Therefore, this is done by measuring each objective in the financial sector with a quantified target metric that is associated with it. This process has helped companies understand their position and the weak and strong areas in the organization. In this way, the priority of the objectives can be understood in the organization and therefore, it becomes easier for the management to understand which objective should be implemented first based on its impo rtance. Further, it shows how the different sectors of the company are performing in relation to the vision and the mission of the company. Traditionally most federal agencies measure their managerial presentation by mainly focusing on internal process performances; they also looked at factors such as the number of full time equals that were allotted. However, on the other hand the private sector has always focused on the monetary procedures as their bottom line; this includes return on investment, earnings per share and even market share. It is imperative to understand that alone, neither of the approaches can be able to give stipulation for the full viewpoint of an organization’s routine. However, by ensuring that there is a balance that exists between the internal process as well as results from financial measures, managers can be able to have a complete picture as to whether the company should be able to make improvements. For this reason, the balanced score card was used as it