Advantages of Distributed Operating Systems Assignment

Advantages of Distributed Operating Systems - Assignment Example For instance, the design of distributed systems is such that a malicious program can easily be replicated across a large number of machines, and this can result in major damage (Moffett, 2004). To this extent, although distributed operating systems might attempt to enhance high reliability through fault tolerance, it is however clear that fault tolerance is hard to achieve. Secondly, the distributed operating systems are designed with the aim of enhancing performance. Evidence however shows that this is particularly a challenging concept since as these systems attempt to enhance performance; they actually end up conflicting with other properties, especially the reliability and security of the system. For example, in Amoeba distributed operating system, there are many applications that are replicated, an example being the databases (Tanenbaum, et al, 1990). These replications help this operating system to support fault tolerance, there enhancing its performance and reliability. However, it should be noted that as the software and hardware components are increased to enhance fault tolerance, this may end up negatively affecting the security and overall performance of the system. Third, there is evidence to show that indeed distributed operating systems helps to enhance communication. In many of these systems, communication is mainly through messages. This allows for communication in distributed operating system easy and efficient. In many cases, the communication needs in distributed operating systems are of the request/response type (Mullender, 1988). This allows for message passing to be embedded in protocols for the remote operations. In this case, a process sends a request to another process and the request is carried out and the response returned to the initial process. Through such a mechanism, the communication process in a distributed

Group papers feedback Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Group papers feedback - Assignment Example The group also provided in the appendix their workings and the financial information of their firm. Their introduction and conclusion are clear and easy to relate to the body. It is easy to understand the operations of GoPro by going through this work. The group worked on the United Therapeutics Corporation. The group outlined their work in a form of topics. Use of graphs and tables to represent their data is appealing and enables the reader to understand the performance at a glance. The introduction and conclusion are well outlined. They also highlighted their topics making it easy for the reader. Unlike group, they failed to provide detailed information that is useful for analysis. The group however did a recommendable work especially on providing their investment recommendations to the investors. Their positive approach in analyzing the company is also appealing and makes the reader concentrate on the positive side of the company. The group worked on Allied Nevada Gold Corporation. The group managed to get information from NASDAQ that they included in their work, and this makes it easy for the reader to read. They also interpreted their data. Their work is well outlined. They however provided a lot of the companys background information which limited them from critically analyzing the firm. The group provided the financial ratios in the Appendix, but unlike group 6 and five failed to show how these ratios are gotten or their interpretations. The group majorly concentrated on comparing the firm with others in the industry that brings out the negative part of the company. The group does not recommend investors to invest in the firm due to the uncertainties. This has a negative impact on the firms operations as it scares away investors. The group worked on JetBlue. They provided their information in tables that are appealing to the readers. Unlike group 2 and 3,

World History. The risk to the Middle East and the US of a nuclear Essay

World History. The risk to the Middle East and the US of a nuclear Islamic Iran - Essay Example Speculation based on past history since the 1948 Israeli independence and first Arab Israeli war. Without question, a nuclear armed Iran would have serious implications for the region. In an article by Sanger (2010) it was postulated that in the case of China a containment strategy was utilized (Not actively engaging in a nuclear war but deterring its dangerous moves). Ultimately, at the moment most Americans are more worried about a trillion-dollar debt rather than the nuclear arsenal that the East Asian nation posses. However the debate rages of the risks associated a containment strategy with Iran. Over the years Iran has seen a significant increase in its domestic energy demands, which places a significant strain on the amount of oil that can be used for export. Under this guise, the nation has suggested that it would like the capacity to generate electricity thought the use of nuclear power plants. Whilst this may seem like an innocent enough proposition it remains the case that this action could bring with it a nuclear armament. According to Fathi (2005) it is the case that the President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has stated at the annual anti-Israel demonstration that â€Å"Israel must be wiped off the map.†

Industrial Placement Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Industrial Placement - Case Study Example This clearly implies that poor performance of the human resource is hazardous to the organisation. One of the major human resource issues faced by most organisations is the high rate of employee turnover. Problems arise in many organisations as a result of unethical practices of the management towards the employees. This leads to more employee grievances and, in turn, affects the smooth functioning of the organisation. Increased rate of employee grievance is also a cause for high employee turnover. A good human resource management can help to solve the human resource issues of an organisation. Initially it was the personnel department who dealt with the employees in the organisation. But the personnel department only dealt with the technical aspects of the employees such as staffing, remunerating etc. Later on, human resource management became a separate department to look after the welfare of the employees at the work place. "Personnel management is more administrative in nature, dealing with payroll, complying with employment law, and handling related tasks. Human resources, on the other hand, are responsible for managing a workforce as one of the primary resources that contributes to the success of an organisation." (N. Madison. 2007). The terminology changed from personnel management to human resource management when the significance of the human resources in an organisation's success was identified properly. The fact that human consideration has to be given to the employees paved way to the formation of human resource departments in the organisation. The main functio ns of the human resource management include recruiting, selecting, placing, controlling, remunerating and motivating the employees of the organisation. Though human resource management's function includes all the activities beginning from recruiting the staff the main objective of human resource management is to provide a good working environment for the employees so that the employees feel good at work. The employees should be provided with sufficient benefits and allowances apart from salary, on the basis of their performance and as per the statute governing the employees' welfare. Human resource management in an organisation is mainly based on the concept that the employees in an organisation are human beings and they are unlike other resources. Employees will have their own problems and difficulties at their workplace arising as a result of the problems in their personal life. And also human resource is a factor whose behaviour cannot be predicted by any means. This study is aimed at identifying the human resource issues existing in the hotel giant Sheraton Hotels and Resorts. The study is conducted in Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers located in New York City. Sheraton is one of the oldest and the best hotels in the world. Currently it has very good market share in the hospitality industry. The final report is addressed to the top level human resource executives of the company for helping them to resolve the problem. Objectives of the report The main objective of preparing this report is to study and analyze the major human resource issues existing in the organisation. The study is routed to some of the areas which were found to be unsatisfactory

Brainstorm of the places where we use computers Essay Example for Free

Brainstorm of the places where we use computers Essay The main uses of ICT in Coopers is to educate pupils that attend also to help teachers keep track of their daily teachings. The uses of ICT like interactive boards and projectors have played an important part in the way education is being taught in ST Edwards. These functions allows teachers to browse the Internet in front of the class and go on educational websites. Also to use the interactive board with a interactive pen to draw straight lines easier than a whiteboard. Systems like SIMS are very useful for teachers every day routine as it allows them to do features like see students timetables, personal details like address and home telephone number also their face identity. This is useful because this can be arranged so that a whole classes pictures are printed of in alphabetical order in order for a teacher to know there class pupils quicker by face by arranging the class in alphabetical order. The public school Coopers is allocated in Romford, Essex was formed over 300 years ago. It contains around 1200 pupils with six formers and over 100 teachers, which the school had to accommodate by building a new building alongside the old one. The head teacher of Coopers is Mr Drew. The school is very multicultural as it accepts students from the local borough as well as outside the borough, which makes the school very unique in its area of Havering. Also recently Coopers was one of the 19 schools in the whole of London to been given the top grade from OFSTED inspectors. The school dress code of Cooperss pupils is to blue blazers with a badge showing a cross and doves also charcoal grey trousers. The tie has diagonal stripes of yellow, navy and light blue. Microsoft office plays a very important role in the education system at Coopers through programs like Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Some of the uses that these programs enable are: Spreadsheet Microsoft Excel: Use are being able to mail merge, spread sheet formulas Word Processing Microsoft Word: This programs enables you to Do Fax template documents, Invoices and basics such as Letters Presentation Software Microsoft PowerPoint: PowerPoint presentations allow students to present class to their class on an interactive board. Database Microsoft Access: Mainly used throughout Coopers school for tracking students behaviour and for teaching throughout the schooling industry. Also by teachers into allowing them to organise their timetables and see where they have free periods or when a class needs a supply teacher as a teacher is away from school. Desktop Publishing (DTP) MS Publisher, Photoshop, and Corel Draw: Generally used in school to edit and draw pictures. List of Hardware: (computer Specification) How ICT is used in subjects that are taught and used in school. CDT: This subject has specialised software on the ICT program like 2D Design, which enables students to draw different shapes and letters then have specially designed into a 2D key chain using a high tech machine. MFL: the subject MFL has software installed on the schools computer system, which allows teachers to access it through the interactive boards and teach students on their speech thought the boards speakers. Also through the interactive pen, the teachers can ask students to come to the front and moves individual words to the right sentences. Security software: an administrator through logging on a computer can access The CCTV cameras. This allows the admin to control the movement of the cameras. Most classrooms in Coopers are locked with a specialized security system with only opens by inserting a card with a special chip build into it. The door will only open if it recognises the chip. Systems on different doors can be programmed to accept the chip. This will allow the user to open a number of doors throughout the school. The school technicians would install anti virus softwares like Northern Art: The use of digital cameras and software allows users to edit photos and images. Also it can be used to evaluate pieces of work and how to make improvements. The benefits of using ICT in Art are that students can do animations and add special effects to pictures, which cannot be done by hand. Library: The heritage used to the check if the book you want hasnt been taken out. Also the library uses ICT to controls what is borrowed and taken out in the library also students who have books that are overdue. I also found my school is using networking in 10 computer rooms; each room has a local network. All local networks are connected together with router and Gateway. After accessing to the network manager I found that the school network is using the star network. Preferably Maths: ICT is used in maths to do accurate pie chart and bar chart diagrams. Also spreadsheets and calculations in programs like MS excel. Finance Dept: This department uses ICT to deal with problems such as calculating staff salary and tax using spreadsheets and SAGE line 50 or Payroll software. Why the organisation uses ICT? Coopers Comprehensive uses ICT as it is very effective in helping to manage and organise the work of the school. Examples; The organisation uses word processing software such as Microsoft Word to design templates which they will use every time they want to send a letter to pupils homes. This is effective as this system will enable the organisation to save time not writing by hand the information that would be stored as a template. E.g. school address and logo Locations where ICT is used 1. Reception a. Photocopier b. Computer c. Lights d. Fax 2. Classrooms a. Lights system b. Computer c. Fan d. Projector e. 3. Staff room a. Computers b. Lighting system 4. Science Lab a. Computers b. Interactive board 5. Interactive board a. Sound system b. Internet browser c. Interactive board d. Video e. Projector 6. Library a. Heritage i. Resource library ii. Computer iii. Database 7. Six form sweet 8. D.T a. Computers 9. Technicians office a. Laptops b. Computers 10. Art room a. Computers 11. Music room a. Keyboards b. Interactive board c. Lights d. Sound system 12. Food room a. Digital camera (for taking pictures of food) b. Computer c. Pocket computer (keeps track of his daily routines) Roles 1. Teaching a. Worksheets b. Timetables c. Teachers planners d. Room changes e. On call system 2. French a. Interactive whiteboards 3. History a. Computer b. Interactive 4. Security a. CCTV (24 hours in motion a day.) b. School alarm c. Fire alarm 5. Internet a. School website b. Revision sites for learning 6. Mr Chapmens Office a. Letters home b. Reachout 7. Mr Drews office a. Photocopier 8. Homework 9. Maths a. Calculators b. Projectors c. Interactive board 10. SEN Dept 11. S.T.E.D.S a. Calculators 12. Mr Browns Office a. Timetables 13. SIMS (schools information management system) a. NOVA b. Timetables for students and teachers c. Cover d. Administration e. Pupil profiles f. Students behaviour Now I am going to highlight more details how the organisation is using ICT to meet the specific needs. Making lessons interactive: the school uses a smart interactive white board and computer system in every classroom to make lessons interactive. When the teacher is teaching he can write down everything on the whiteboard and using the special software SMART, writing can be saved and played back whenever necessary. Teachers can use many tools to make lessons interactive for example, drawing tools, setting the background colour, selecting font, importing diagrams, showing animation and effects and so on. To make the interactive board work the following hardware and software I identified Projector Computer with necessary software e.g. operating system Windows XP and applications software e.g. MS Word and hardware e.g. keyboard, mouse and Driver program comes with interactive whiteboard USB memory to transfer and save lessons. Digital pen or stylus using this device teachers can use software interactively without coming to the computer Cable connection between whiteboard and computer The objective of the organisation is to educate students interactively within a short time. Using such interactive system the teacher can teach many things to each student e.g. printing handouts of what he taught at the end of the lesson, without writing he can show it again and again if the student doesnt understand. Students dont need to take all notes and can take soft copy of the lessons. When a student is absent he or she can take the soft copy to catch up. registering and maintaining student database creating school brochure templates designing writing letter to parents mail merge save time dont make mistakes Issuing and receiving books in the school library Searching for books in the library: the school uses ICT in libraries so that books can be found easily and can also to record pupils taking books out and returning them easily without making mistakes and losing books. The benefits are: Saves time just scanning books instead of writing it down manually every time a pupil wants to take a book out. Pupils can easily search for books on a database instead of finding it on shelves Overdue books can be worked out by the computer whereas you may forget when the pupil was due to bring back the book.

Positive Effects of Japanese Saving Rate Essay Example for Free

Positive Effects of Japanese Saving Rate Essay The economic saving rate of Japan is among the highest in the world. According to a recent study, â€Å"the rate in the 80s and the early 90s had been over 10% steadily and higher than any other developed country. † (Katayama 1). This high saving rate has immediate positive effects on Japan’s economy and to foreign economies as well. In this short paper, we will discuss and explore some of the advantages brought by Japan’s high saving rate. As we are all familiar with, Japan is well known for being a self-sufficient country. It is a country that innovates its own useful products, and produces quality that is competitive with American made products. One great difference between the two is that Japan’s economy has a better inclination towards saving, while the American economy is more geared towards spending and making foreign investments. That is a major advantage for Japan as far as economic stability is concerned, because by being able to save well, they are able to sustain their position as a self-sufficient nation. That would mean, they don’t need to focus on making foreign investments to maintain and even increase their gross domestic product. In countries with relatively very high spending rates such as China and the United States, there is almost a desperate need to make foreign investments and export goods. Japan, meanwhile, is able to attract more foreign investors to their soil because of its high savings rate and economic self sufficiency. Future economic stability of citizens is another positive domestic effect of Japan’s saving rate. According to Katayama, â€Å"the life-cycle theory, one of the representative consumption theory, shows that while a rational household may save some of the income in youth, they may spend their savings after their retirement. † (3). This means that majority of Japanese citizens are placing more focus on their future rather than the present. When the current workforce reaches old age and eventually retire, they have personal savings that will ensure a better quality of life even during old age. It is a very good domestic advantage for Japan because the future generation of retired workforce will be taken good care of, even when they reach the age when they leave their jobs and cannot contribute to the Japanese economy anymore. Japan’s saving rate does not impact its own people only, but the entire Asia and the world as well. One of our research sources states:: â€Å"†¦since Japan is the worlds second largest economy (and the largest in Asia), developments within its borders have implications not only for itself, but the rest of the world as well, particularly the rest of Asia and the United States, its largest trade partner. Indeed, the faltering Japanese economy is potentially a significant impediment to economic recovery in the rest of Asia† (Nolan, Robinson and Wang). Although much has been said about the slight weakening of Japan’s currency and savings rate during the past 10 years, the fact remains that Japan is still the world’s second largest economy. It is also considered as the world’s largest creditor. The country’s savings rate, although not as good as before, remains slightly higher than those of highly developed countries and emerging economies. Thus, Japan is still in a position to greatly influence global economic trends in positive ways, eventually quell the current economic crises and pull more resources in the future. Bibliography: Brooke, James. â€Å"Quarters Growth Rose in Japan To 7%, Buoyed by China Trade†. The New York Times. (18 Feb. 2004). 1 Dec. 2007. http://query. nytimes. com/gst/fullpage. html? res=9B01E0DD123DF93BA25751C0A9629C8B63 Katayama, Kentaro. â€Å"Why Does Japan’s Saving Rate Decline So Rapidly? †. Policy Research Institute, Ministry of Finance, Japan. (Dec. 2006). 1 Dec. 2007. http://www. mof. go. jp/jouhou/soken/kenkyu/ron164. pdf. Noland, Marcus. , Sherman Robinson and Zhi Wang. â€Å"The Global Economic Effects of the Japanese Crisis†. The Peterson Institute for International Economics. 1 Dec. 2007. http://www. iie. com/publications/wp/wp. cfm? ResearchID=147.

Emerging Issues In Strategic Human Resource Management Commerce Essay

Emerging Issues In Strategic Human Resource Management Commerce Essay This report is based on the case study Apple Inc.s Corporate Culture: The Good the Bad and the Ugly. The report tried to investigate and find out what is good and what is detrimental to the organisational culture in terms of Human Resource strategy and practice in Apple Inc. The conceptual investigation was totally focused on Human Resource Management perspective issues of Apple, though the case study has included wide areas of analysis including Apples operations, marketing, accounts etc. This theoretical research provides a reasoned and academically underpinned critical analysis as well as provides coherent and justified recommendations for changes to HR strategy and practice in Apple Inc. Based on the above mentioned case study, this essay reviewed the impact of people (employee) in apples magical success as well as it has reviewed the Apple Incs management and leadership styles. In the progress of the essay, Apples human resources policy is also critically evaluated and detrimental HRM issues are identified. Appropriate models and frameworks also has been identified which could be used for better managing of human resources. Good HRM practices also given credit which they can effectively keep implementing for sustainable future success. Critical appraisal of the contribution people has made to Apple Inc People, in organisational term employees have great impact towards organisations success or failure. Michigan model (Cited in Price 2007, pp 40) explains that employees are resources in the same way as any other business resource. So exploiting the peoples are crucial as with other equipment and raw material of the organisation. Peoples in Apple Inc. have made huge impact and they are the key of companys success. Its CEO Steve Jobs is the person who has been the figureheads for the company. He is the founder of the company, however after his initial spell with the organisation he had to leave. When he came back after twelve years, he has made Apple most innovative and profitable organisation on earth. He is an iconic figure and everybody wants him around in the company. He is worlds greatest salesman (case study). Apple and Jobs have become synonymous. How one person can make a crisis-ridden company to a world most recognised company, what might be impact of peoples to an organisation, Apple and Steve Jobs would be used as an example surely for long. It is not only Steve Jobs, apart from him it is peoples who works for Apple made the difference. As the case study suggests, totally awesome team of people working in the company. Everyone is respectful, intelligent and good at executing. Apples employees had high passion and believe in the corporate mission and it was the competitive advantage for the company. Apple exploits it employees in various roles right from engineering to marketing to operations and sales. People working for Apple feels proud working for the most innovative company and work hard for the company which is phenomenal within the industry. According to the case study the key people in the organisation are the position of technical, marketing and staff positions. The organisations success largely depends on attracting and keeping these peoples. Redman Wilkinson (2009) indicates that personal and organisational success is increasingly correlated with the profession of skills. Skilled individuals can command a premium salary in periods of high economic activity. It is the interests of any company to maximise its human resources by investing in the skills of its workforce: its human capital. Price (2007) suggests human capital is a crucial component of an organisations overall competitiveness. Companies like Apple where human resources become the driving force in the development of strategy; there is an overriding emphasis on developing their skills and capitalising on their competencies. Apple has successfully focused on the people resources and capitalised it to achieve competitive advantages in the market place. Apple is acknowledged as the most innovative company within the industry and no doubt, its peoples (management and other employees) has made it worlds top innovative company. Analysis of factors concerning the management of the human resource in Apple Factors concerning the management of the human (people) resource vary within an organisation and across situations. The output of any organisation, however it is measured, relies heavily upon market factors which determine how the organisation operates. RDI (2010) suggests, future trends must be identified and the organisation must be able to adapt to them if it is to continue to function in a profitable and effective way. The HRM function must support these strategic perspectives. In developing a strategic perspective, an in-depth understanding needs to be acquired of the relationship between an organisations environment and its people (HRM) strategy. HR professionals must therefore have an understanding of the strategic HRM process in term of people aspects. . Most organisations are being held back by people issues. They need to be handled with care and effectively. It seems Apple has adopted a balance of Best fit and best practice approaches to manage its human resources. The objective of Apples Human Resources is to maximize the return on investment from the organizations human capital and minimize financial risk. These responsibilities are conducted by human resource managers in an effective, legal, fair, and consistent manner. Human resource management in Apple serves these key functions: Recruitment and selection, work analysis, training, job rotating, leadership development, performance appraisal, incentive compensation, benefit profit sharing, employee development, employee security and health, employee relation etc. However some key factors concerning the management of human resource in Apples are discussed below: Recruitment Apple recruits people with computer based knowledge. Highly selective recruitment process was designed to hire only the best who would fit well to the organisational culture regardless of their experiences. Organisational fitness is more important in Apple than job-fitness. Case study suggests that selection process is a short procedure, where prospective employees organisational suitability is measured by verbal interview. Equal opportunity and diversity Apple is the equal opportunity Employer and promoted diversity within the organisation. Apples employees are from diverse background. Diversified workforce is one of the positive aspects of Apples corporate culture. Compensation and benefit: Apple offers various benefits to its employees and its compensation and benefits are very competitive. Benefit package varied depending on location and employment status. The common benefit included insurance coverage, flexible spending accounts, an employee stock purchase programme and a 401(k) saving and investment plan. Product discounts, on site fitness centre, and the opportunity to work on big projects with some of the experienced players in the industry were added bonuses. Salary and compensation reviews include year-end bonuses, vacation time and other perks and reimbursements. Apple also offered the FlexBenefits programme to its employees where they could choose benefits that best fit their lives. Recognition and appreciation In 1995 Apple created the Apple fellows program in order to recognise the best of its employees who had made extraordinary contributions to personal computing. Each Apple fellow acted as a leader and visionary guiding the company in their particular area of expertise. According to the case study apple is well known to appreciate and value its employees. It is considered a great place to work for people who are passionate about innovation. Career opportunity: Apples positive recruitment policy emphasis on candidates suitability to suit the organisational culture rather than their skills to fit in a specific position. However opportunities are given to employees to gather skills within the organisation. Opportunities for training and development include internship, on-the-job training etc. Internship with apple offered real learning experiences that led to prospective careers in diverse fields. Apple attracted most talented people to come as interns, as people valued Apple best place to learn, they joined them and worked for them as interns. They thought once they get chance to work at Apple, whatever basis it is , it would not be a problem for them to find jobs in elsewhere, the fact is that it wasnt as according to the case study most of Apples interns were able to find jobs promptly once they had some experience from Apple. On-the-job training is applied successfully in Apple. In this casual work culture employees get an opportunity to work with experienced and talented people with no end to challenges. Employability security: Apple has no mutual obligation between the company and its employees and the employees should opt for a better opportunity if it came along. Apple is always unapologetic about layoffs and made it clear that the company believed in employability security rather than employment security. The employability security means that an employee after working with apple would learn enough to be attractive to another employer if laid off. Apple emphasis on psychological contract rather than physical contract. Price, (2007) viewed psychological contract as an informal understanding between the employer and employee. Unlike the formal employment contract, this has no physical existence. It is a set of expectations held by both employers and employees in terms of what they wish to give and receive from their working relationship. Comparison and contrast of the concepts of management and leadership in context of Apple Inc The effectiveness of any organisation depends upon the structure of the management system in operation, as well as its cultural environment. According to the case study Apple is ranked in the top position for the people management within the industry. Jobs is a charismatic CEO whose management style has influenced by Douglas McGregors Theory Y type attitudes (Price, 2007) who leaves his employee to work on their own, taking initiatives, being self-motivated and tending to work hard. However when it comes to take final decisions, the case study suggests it is always one person who takes them and it is Steve Jobs himself as well as his job delegation was very selective only to whom he (Jobs) trusted which is named benevolent authoritative style of management by Likert (2009). One of the problems of management was span of control and information communication gap. As the case study suggests one of the employees said, six different supervisors gave him six different answers and they did not communicate together. Apples management coordination is characterised by Japanese centralisation (Torrington et al 2008) orientation the typical Japanese approach is for strong headquarters group to keep for themselves all major decision. Steve Jobs is a visionary leader who has who has always identified the need of change and has vision of future desired state. Anon (2002) dubbed him as a transformational leader who has single-handedly turned the organization around and delivered it from crisis when he was called back to the company in the year 1997 after twelve years of his departure. Jobs inspired the employees at apple to come out with unconventional products by thinking differently. However though Jobs leadership has brought success for Apple, it does not guarantee that same style would work for future leaders. According the case study Jobs leadership in Apple is supported by Great man theory of leadership where he practices CEO centric power. Anon (2008) suggests that he is secretive, controlling, hog credit, makes people cry and parks his Mercedes in disabled spots. In the world of continuous change this sort of leadership is ineffective for long run. Jobs has been a successful manager who has showed his competency of managing task and people in Apple at the same time though he is a transformational visionary leader but on the other side of the coin he is a autocratic dictator who has been subjecting his employees to tyrannical outburst and fostering a culture of strict secrecy at the company. Apples future leader should adopt more integrating style of leading rather than Jobs traditional controlling leadership. Apples organisational culture is ingrained by Steve jobs and he has made Apple an Institutional mirror of himself. However the company thinks that they would keep operating the same way even when Jobs was no longer there. As the case study suggest that Jobs put an executive team, trained and groomed in his way of doing things in place to take the company forward in his absence. It seems the scheme is successfully working as in Jobs recent six months absence period the company ran smoothly and even Apples stock price was up 66%. Steve jobs has put bold management succession plan in place as it is clear after Jobs sudden exit, Cook will take over as the CEO. Torrington et al (2008) describe it as individual succession analysis. This process is focused to an informal approach to promote with short-term focus on who would be able to replace senior people if they left suddenly. However it is not undisputable that Apple is a visionary organisation or Steve Jobs is a visionary leader as some critics thinks they live just in present. Like Boivin, C. Roch, J. (2006) said Apples leadership are stonewalling; these people, accustomed to the veneer of emergencies, could find no heart or time in their calendars for thinking beyond next months products, next months programs. Too many Apple people, live only in the present and are so wrapped up in the present, so totally engrossed in fighting todays battles, that they live unaware of the past and the future. All today, no yesterday, no tomorrow. They werent stonewalling on the strategy; the strategy dealt with tomorrow, and there was no time in their calendar for tomorrow. Leading and developing effective teams Though Apples work culture is driven by intense work ethic, however it has also another side. In one side we can see a group of eccentric workaholic peoples who work unusually longer hours on the other side we can see that Apples work environment is relaxed and casual, which has certainly helped leading and developing effective team spirit. Employees are followed by casual dress code on the job. According to the case study, Apples employees think it has funny, brilliant, relaxed co-workers and modern, spacious, beautiful offices filled with comfortable couches. Case study also suggests, employees are upbeat about Apples workplace experience and corporate diversity and shared passion. Apple has been able to instil a sense of pride towards its employees. The work culture at Apple was driven by passion for products and attention to the minutest details. Every department is equipped with smart, creative and hard-working people. The work culture is much more like club rather than family. Product development team is formed at Apple with peoples from diverse experience background. By hiring innovative people from diverse background, apple was able to incorporate different perspectives and skills and achieve its goal of making the best products on the market. Teams in Apple work in challenging and creative environment and explored new ways of performing common tasks. Apple provides them ample opportunities to learning and growing. There was amazing level of coherence among the executive teams at Apple. However rather than team work in apples corporate culture encourages individual performance. In Apple, employees had to do their work independently and each individual was his/her best resource. Guidance was occasional. As a company policy employees were not allowed to take note in meetings. Apple appreciated hard working employees and rewarded those who demonstrated their skills and capabilities. It seems Apple fostering an individualistic culture rather team culture. It selects independent thinker who likes to work alone. Apple created a club/community like environment to motivate and retain employees. Analysis of HRM problems in Apple Inc and appropriate models to develop solutions The absence of systematic standard human resource management tools is major problem for Apple. In the absence of well-structured systems and process, the corporate culture became dysfunctional. Many talented people left Apple, because they did not like Apples culture. Without systematic HRM strategy which should be aligned with organisational strategy the company will not prosper for long time. Lack of proper tools to recognition and appreciation Case study suggests that employee had to look after their career as organisation has no proper talent tracking system. Management did not care about interests of other employees, recognising their hard works. Employees innovative product ideas have never been accepted by the company. Though in the early stage employees were appreciated for their work e.g. those who worked for Mac their signature were engraved in the inside of computer case. However it was not the practice later on. Promotion unfairness According to the case study unfairness in promotions and overall employee treatment existed at Apple. Apple worked its employees to the bone but did not reward their hard work and dedication. Only top executives were rewarded. In Apple, appraisal is not based on contribution to the team and support of others, rather based on individual outstanding performance. Career progression and development In a flat hierarchical organisational structure career advancement opportunities were very limited. Reward and bonuses Reward is not based on team performance and contribution, rather individual performance and individual effort. The top management seems in Apple is content with their pay. Lower level employees have not got bonuses or pay rise. Even lower level employees do not have stock option though they worked 60 hours per week. Pfeffer (1998) models suggests profit can still be made with higher pay rates if the right pay format is used such as gain sharing , stock options and pay for skills (cited in Price, 2007). When employees think they are fairly rewarded they will show more commitment. Apples management must pay attention on this. It is important task for any HRM department to aligning an organizations payment arrangements and wider reward systems with the business objectives (Torrington et al. 2008, pp. 638). Long work hours Apple is criticised for its long work hours. Employees struggle to balance work and family life and Apple was blamed for having no regard for family life. Even the company was sued by its employee on the ground of breaking the Californian labour law. Adopting a commitment model (Torrington et al 2008) and changing the organisational culture could solve most of the HRM issues for Apple. commitment model: Communication: Outlining the direction that the organisations strategy is taking and the purpose of any changes. Staffs need to understand why decisions have been before they will cooperate in their implementation. Apples top level managements strict secrecy and rigid mentality must need to be changed. Ownership: Ownership is encouraged by involving people in decisions and making them responsible for implementing specific action. Steve Jobs himself and his successor must stop taking all decisions without employee involvement and participation. Employee involvement is all about their participation with organizational decision making process. Employee involvement is largely concerned with preventing or alleviating alienation (Torrington et al. 2008, pp. 484). Staffs can be involved within the organization through ownership or empowerment. ABE (2001) HRM study manual suggests that empowerment involves people in the operation of organization, so they feel personal responsibility for their actions (pp. 115). Emotional Identification: It is more likely in an atmosphere of enthusiasm. This can be created by acknowledgement and encouraging responsibility and recognising hard work. Performance: Performance assessment and reward structure should be focused on commitment. Apple must put proper performance appraisal system in the place and act accordingly to identify well performing individuals and reward them accordingly. Change of organisational culture: Moreover organisational cultural shift is also needed which would change Apple from an excessive control cultural company to a collaborative cultural company. To survive in future transference and collaboration is essential. A culture that is constantly in pursuit of operational excellence. Good organisational cultures flourish the organisational growth. Leadership in control cultures is a function of authority, and decision making is tied closely to title and role in the organisational. Such organisations tend to be more hierarchical in structure (RDI, 2010). Apple belongs to this category. Scholars place a high value on collaboration not just internally, but with its customers and partners. It emphasises the power of teamwork. By collaboration it seeks to be closely in touch and in tune with the customer and the market at large. RDI (2010) hints that leadership in a collaboration culture is role-based, not person or title-based, and authority is situational (dependent on the particular client engagement, project etc). The natural organisational structure of a collaboration culture is cross-functional teams aligned to market opportunities. According to the case study Apple has been subject to the criticism for an organisational culture characterised by Steve jobs over controlling, top management strict secrecy maintaining and practice of lack of transference. To attain sustainable customer trust, transference and collaboration are necessary in all levels of the organisation. Conclusion It is obvious apple has many good thinks which are strength for the company including strong management, leading, skilled and dedicated people resources. However it is also evident that companys overall corporate culture is out dated which is characterised by absence of morale and lack of alignment of people with organisational strategy. So change in organisational culture is crucial and should be imminent for sustainable long term success. Future leaders initiatives to address these issues, their openness to change and implementing changes to the organisation would become vital factor to success. It is also need to be seen whether Apple finds a perfect successor (predictably Cook) for Steve Jobs, a man who has always been well ahead of competitors to create future vision. It is not drastic change Apple has to go through in near future in terms of its HRM strategy but they must implement some changes which will put the company from one man show to a systematic practice. Apples existing workforce comprise by 35,000 employees worldwide (case study), however this number is inevitable to increase in future and without proper Human Resource strategy and defined policy it will be difficult to manage a diverse huge workforce. Future leaders and managers must set out a standard HRM policy aligned with organisational strategy addressing all emerging issues of HRM. Reference Anon (2002) Transformational leadership; Organizational change; Management styles. Review of Transformational leadership in the context of organizational change by Eisenbach, R. et al (1999). Strategic Direction, 18(6), pp.5-7 [Online] Available at: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?issn=0258-0543volume=18issue=6articleid=869238show=html [Accessed: 19 July, 2010] Anon (2008) Leading personalities. Review of The trouble with Steve by Elkind, P. (2008). Strategic Direction, 24 (11), pp. 17-19 [Online]. 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