Friday, November 29, 2019

Job Analysis Assistant Insurance Salvage Evaluation Manager

Executive Summary Job analysis is an important concept in the discipline of Human Resource Management since it is useful in the job selection process, especially in hiring candidates who apply for managerial job positions such as the assistant insurance salvage evaluation manager. Getting the right individuals for employment is critical to the achievement of an insurance organization’s goals. Different selection stages enable employers to foresee candidates who would be victorious and productive if employed.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Job Analysis: Assistant Insurance Salvage Evaluation Manager specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Through the task-based approach, this job analysis aims at accessing the job description of an assistant salvages manager in an insurance company. Among the tested variables include time spent, difficulty to learn, centrality, and mistakes made. Besides, the treatise identifies stages involved in the job analysis process of the assistant insurance salvage evaluation manager who is expected to perform the role of assistant managers in the accident salvage department. This position entails general management roles, auditing, and bookkeeping. Besides, the position demands flexibility since the occupant is expected to be an all rounder in the performance of general management duties. Job Analysis Validated personnel selection is crucial in forming an effective staff, directly promotes employee productivity, and in most cases, improves business performance and profitability. Finding and hiring qualified candidates is often a lengthy time- consuming process and should be implemented using the most current research practices. The insurance business sector has used personality and psychological testing to predict job performance, job related behaviors, and reactions as guides to hiring and staffing their organizations (Invancevich Konopaske, 2012). A concern in c ognitive testing through the task-based job analysis for an assistant salvages manager is that different persons perform differently in certain cognitive and IQ-based tests, suggesting a bias in these testing methods (Shetterly, 2008). For instance, in 1971 the United States Supreme Court decision, Griggs v. Duke Power resulted in showing that testing is a business necessity so that such tests are not biased nor are used to eliminate certain candidates. Nevertheless, procedural justice is an issue that has occurred when conducting cognitive assessments (Shetterly, 2008). Also poor face validity leads to job evaluation candidate believing that the tests do not measure job-related skills or abilities.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, these concerns do not detract from the usefulness that tests can provide to foresee personality, approaches, and psychological behavior to best de termine an applicant’s fit with the existing personnel, especially for the sensitive and strategic assistant insurance salvage evaluation manager. On the basis of relative time spent, this role scores a mean mark of 3, that is, average since it focuses on personality and psychological testing. The purpose of these tests is to predict performance, job related behaviors, and reactions. When approaching a potential candidate for any position, human resources representatives must remember the prospective candidate will display his or her best qualities of the abilities, skills, and knowledge he or she possesses. What an organization does not see during the interview and hiring process is what a manager finds after the candidate obtains the position. As a human resource professional, one must seek as much information as possible to establish a long-term fit within the company (Invancevich Konopaske, 2012). Personality testing can give an insight into the individual besides his or her resume from preliminary interview, cognitive skills, and aptitude tests. Although there are concerns that some individuals can influence personality tests, the use of several screening tools increases the likelihood of obtaining an accurate picture of the candidate for the assistant insurance salvage evaluation manager position. An insurance company can benefit from employing one of the testing tools listed in the overview of tools for selection or the tool recommended for personnel job analysis to ensure that the person assigned to this job is time conscious and deliver optimal returns within a specific period. Self evaluation skills on the individual concentration level during training encompass actual and expected outcome. Through designing relevant program training model, concentration evaluation will remain active in developing dependence of interest attached to an activity, creating proactive relationships, and monitoring their interaction with physical aspects of team ev aluation. Eventually, this pays off since that individual will learn to appreciate the essence of learning and need to stay active. Thus, despite training coordination being rated as a high self management assessment strategy, action planning is of essence to create solution oriented task and strategy implementation secession for quantifying performance levels, especially in the pharmaceutical environment (Shetterly, 2008).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Job Analysis: Assistant Insurance Salvage Evaluation Manager specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More On the basis of the difficulty of the task, the score for this position is 3, since the role of a manager is often challenging and demands constant motivation. Motivation evaluation engages in active process of learning through the promotion, facilitation, and rewarding collective learning results, the ideal model for quantifying success will rely on the set objectives . The three building blocks of motivation evaluation include learning intra personal performance, learning processes, and practice leadership that reinforces performance. These aspects are the success measurement variables of the success of the training and development strategy for an insurance company carrying out an objective job evaluation for an assistant salvage manager. On the basis of mistake made, the analysis reveals a score of 1, that is, very easy to correct since salvage insurance business is dependent on what is observable. Thus, any mistake made by the assistant salvage evaluation manager can be easily corrected via reviewing his or her cognitive ability. Reflectively, â€Å"cognitive ability tests typically use questions or problems to measure ability to learn quickly, logic, reasoning, reading comprehension and other enduring mental abilities that are fundamental to success in many different jobs† (Shetterly, 2008, p. 35). To be able to carry out organizationa l psychology assessment on the basis of centrality, research and statistics are needed to understand the various behavioral patterns that exist within the scope of an organization for this role. Consequently, organizational psychology theorists overtly argue that cognition alters behavior. Moreover, it is important to note that the outcomes of organizational psychology vary hugely from one organization to the other. Therefore, research and statistics will facilitate understanding of the centrality of the rules since according to this perspective; emotional distress is assumed to result from maladaptive thoughts expressed in specific behavior patterns. Through research, it is possible to stipulate the different behaviors often associated with different centrality role patterns. This self guided approach is based on collaborative procedures that involve designing specific learning experiences to teach organization on how to monitor automatic behavior; recognize the relationship betwee n these behaviors and cognition, ways to test the validity of the relationships, and measures to apply to substitute the distorted thoughts with more realistic cognitions (Invancevich Konopaske, 2012).Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The main aim of re-assignment analysis procedures is to ensure that the salvage administrator has high possibility working successfully. This kind of evaluation procedure is meant for reviewing a manager who possess analytical skills besides academic qualification. Multiple re-assignment analysis is important because it ‘screen’ suitable candidates who would be productive to the organization’s objectives. Nevertheless, choosing right individuals for employment is always a challenge. Features that qualify an individual for the assistant salvage manager include thirst for success, risk evaluation, innovation and team player. Appendix Tasks â€Å"x† if done: RELATIVE TIME SPENT: 1 – small amount of time 2 – less than average 3 – average 4 – above average 5 – large amount of time DIFFICULTY TO LEARN: 1 – one of the easiest 2 – easier than most 3 – harder than most 4 – one of the hardest A MISTAK E MADE (OR IF NOT DONE) WOULD BE: 1 – slight, easy to correct 2 – somewhat serious, but easy to correct 3 – serious, hard to correct 5 – very serious, life threatening or very expensive CENTRALITY: 0 – just a side part of the job, not a central part of the job 1 – a central part of the job, but not one of the primary reasons the job exists 2 – a central part of the job, one of the main reasons the job exists RE-ASSIGNMENT: 0 – several people do this, can be re-assigned on a long-term basis 1 – one other person does hit, could be re-assigned on a long-term basis 2 – nobody else does this, cannot be re-assigned on a long-term basis Field work 3 3 1 2 2 Leadership 3 2 1 2 2 References Invancevich, J., Konopaske, R. (2012). Human Resource Management. London: McGraw-Hill Education. Shetterly, D. R. (2008). Job Characteristics of Officers and Agents: Result of a National Jobs Analysis. Public Personnel Managem ent, 37 (2), 23-30. This essay on Job Analysis: Assistant Insurance Salvage Evaluation Manager was written and submitted by user Renata Bridges to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Monday, November 25, 2019

bad cops essays

bad cops essays In memory of unarmed, unresisting victims, murdered by cops: Edward Anthony Anderson: Shot while handcuffed and on the ground Frankie Arzuega: Shot in the back of the head Anthony Baez: Choked to death by Francis X. Livoti Charles C. Campbell: Beaten and shot to death by Richard D. DiGuglielmo Jeffrey Carlson and Steven Winkel: Hit by Doug Leiter when he ran a stop sign without lights or a siren Anibal Carrasquillo: Shot in the back Garland Carter: Shot in the back by Eddie Sanchez Dionesia Correa: Kicked to death while handcuffed and on the ground Amadou Diallo: Shot 41 times for the crime of being black in NYC Malcolm Ferguson: Shot in the head by Louis Rivera Nathanial Gaines, Jr.: Shot in the back by Paolo Colecchia Jorge Guillen: Beaten and choked to death Jose Antonio Gutierrez: Shot in the back William Hankston: Shot in the back of the head Joe Love: Beaten and choked to death Yvonne Mathison: Beaten and run over Ismael Mena: Shot through a closed door by SWAT team at wrong house Patrick Heslin Phelan: Shot to death Lamore Rich and his 7-month-old son: Run down by 2 cruisers Jose Antonio Sanchez: Shot to death Ernest Sayon: Beaten and suffocated Tony Sullivan: Shot in the back of the head Kenneth Michael Trentadue: Beaten to death in cell Hilton Vega and Anthony Rosario: Shot in the back 14 times while handcuffed and on the ground 10-year-old Freddie Vela: Shot to death by Glenn Price Aswan Keshawn Watson: Shot to death ...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Essentials of Marketing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Essentials of Marketing - Case Study Example Hence the founders of Innocent have ensured that the product speaks for itself about the company and the brand name. Unlike the service sector, Innocent is not customer centric, however the product is developed with the customer expectations in mind and the quality of the product acts as the promotional factor (Jobber, 2004). The denial of Innocent to be exported to countries where it is not possible to transport overnight indicates the importance given to the product specifications. Though the cost of the product is substantially high, the entire cost goes into the product unlike other brands in the same sector that have a huge advertising spend. Currently, Innocent does not have any loyalty programs or other customer centric costs, unlike other companies. The main reason is that Innocent has based its marketing strategy on the product quality and belief that the customers who are satisfied with the product will definitely come back for more (Groonroos, 1994). On the contrary, the s ervice sector stresses on customer loyalty programs in order to build a relationship with the customer. This result in added costs for the company which then goes into the price of the product or service provided (Fisk et al, 2000). Innocent is a product oriented brand and has given due consideration to the tra... However the marketing mix is unique and it has focussed on each of the four P s in varying degrees. Innocent, due to its unique business model, has utilized the 4 Ps, i.e., Product, Promotion, Price and Place to create an integrated marketing mix. The product has been developed after heavy thoughts on market demands and customer expectations. The product has been given the most importance and all the other marketing strategies revolve round the product (Hakansson and Waluszewski, 2005). The company has positioned itself in the market as a high quality smoothies brand. The Price reflects the product quality and the position in the market. Unlike other brands in the sector, Innocent does not add sugar or preservatives, and produces products with higher amounts of fresh fruit pulp. Innocent justifies this high price by indicating that the product is purely natural and that it is similar to home made smoothies. The promotion strategies are aligned with the product and its price, thus emphasizing its position in the market (Evans and Moutinho, 1999). The advertisement spend is very less comparatively, which again reflects that fact that the cost of the smoothies are completely covered by the product and that the company does not charge the customers for the advertising spend (Dobni and Luffman, 2000). The company has grown internationally, but still emphasis is given to the uniqueness of the product. Hence it is exporting strategy is clearly designed to export to countries which can be reached overnight, as the product life is shorter due to the absenc e of preservatives. Thus it is evident that Innocent has cleverly utilized the four Ps in creating an unique integrated

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Food label Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Food label - Essay Example Although the sugar content may be highest in any food item, still it is distributed in different ingredients, which does not reveal the maximum quantity of total sugar present in the food item. For example, the label of a food item could detail combination of ingredients like Sucrose, Corn-syrup, Corn-syrup solids, fructose, brown sugar and dextrose, listed separately on the label. While individually these ingredients would not get a place in the top five of the listed items, the fact remains that sugar would be on the top of the list if revealed as the combined quantity. This is one of the ways to misinform the consumers about an ingredient which most of us would like to avoid in our daily intake of food, particularly the people with diabetic and sugar related history.. Similarly, junk food manufacturers would list a few ingredients, which have any relation to health and nutrition, while the proportion of the same may be even less than one percent. (Adams, 2007) A particular item, for example the strawberry yogurt, may have â€Å"insect-based red food coloring†; yet the label will describe the coloring agent as â€Å"carmine†. Similarly, to hide the real names, manufacturers may list in the label, â€Å"Yeast Extracts†, which is actually Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) that enhances taste of the food. Likewise, sodium Nitrate is a dangerous chemical, which can cause cancer and brain tumors. Therefore consumers need going into the depth of the items listed in the food labels.(Adams, 2007) Under this act, the food manufacturers are required to use common names for popular food allergens, like fish, wheat, soy, shellfish, milk, eggs and peanuts. Although this is a step in the direction of helping the consumer for identifying the ingredients in these items that may cause worry, particularly for people with history of high blood pressure, heart problems and hypertension,

Monday, November 18, 2019

Print vs. Digital Media Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Print vs. Digital Media - Research Paper Example During that time, there were fewer publishing firms and most of the times, a lot of works ended up not being published. As a result they still remain unnoticed to this date. Through the ages, the significance of print media has slightly reduced; however, its importance still remains the same as back in the ancient times. The popularity of certain print journals and/ or books in the past such as the â€Å"Excursion to Scotland, 1832† clearly shows that despite digital media being the most preferred form of media in the 21st century, print media still has its sound roots in 21st century media culture. The journal was written in a bid to recount an excursion that started out in London to Scotland and back again in 1832. To date the author of the journal is anonymous probably because there was no proper channels of recording print information as well its storage. Despite that, this journal is currently preserved in the Internet archive as one of the most indulging novels of the 18 th century. Another form of ancient print media was the book â€Å"The Book Hunter in Paris† by Octave Uzanne. It was written just a year after the â€Å"Excursion to Scotland, 1832†. Due to its significance, the book is currently preserved as a digital copy to ensure that it will still be available in a number of years to come. The 20th century saw the optimal boom in the use of digital forms of mass media such as the Internet media as well as broadcast internet media. A good example of internet media is the use of online travel blogs which can be accessed by anybody anywhere in the world. Literature review According to Chitra and Neelamalar (2013), print media can be termed as the â€Å"mother† of communication due to the fact... This essay approves that the digital media with its immense advantages has overtaken the utilities of print media in this present day context. It has been viewed that in Europe, people reading newspaper is very less in comparison with the one using the internet. The digital media is more interactive and effective as compared to print media. If an example is to be taken into concern in this regard, then it can be stated that the promotional campaign of a certain product of a specific company carried with the assistance of digitalized media helps to communicate directly with the customers and solve their problems on spot. However, print media does not promote such facility. In a general sense, one of the differences between print media and digital media can be represented as that print media contains writing on the bound books paper and digital media comprise writing on computer screen. This report makes a conlusion that the above study was conducted with an intention to attain knowledge of print media and digital media in the context of mass communication. The print media is the foundation of printing technique in the world, which later developed to digitalized form. The digital media came into popularity when there was a greater need of printing in bulk quantities and within the stipulated time period. Both the forms of media have contributed a lot to mass communication. In this case, it can be affirmed that none of the aspects i.e. print media and digital media cannot be replaced as such books in the form of print media cannot be substituted by the television or neither the internet access as digital media can be replaced by reading newspaper.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

An Excellence And Enjoyment Education Essay

An Excellence And Enjoyment Education Essay Debate and discuss the benefits and drawbacks of cross-curricular and thematic approaches to teaching and learning. You must draw upon a range of academic sources including Excellence and Enjoyment (DfES, 2004) Thematic education is a method of teaching that is becoming more and more prominent within schools across the country due to the Governments education review and their proposed new curriculum for 2011. The switch to this method of teaching is intended to help reorganise the traditional subject areas into thematic areas of learning, easing the pressures on schools to teach strictly to the curriculum and give their teachers the freedom they need in order to do cross-curricular thematic lessons. This report will attempt to define both thematic and cross-curricular education and discuss their respective advantages and disadvantages. Shoemaker (1989) states that a cross-curriculum education is one that is set up so that classroom subjects overlap with one another, the method attempts to bring together numerous aspects of the curriculum into various lessons to reflect the real world such that students can use knowledge learned in one context as a knowledge base in other contexts (Collins, Brown, Newman, 1989). Shanahan (1995) agrees with this definition, he states that thematic teaching is a method of organizing teaching around themes or topics making it possible to integrate instruction across core areasThematic units are designed to encourage students to delve deep into topics developing both an awareness and understanding of existing connections across ideas. The above definitions suggest that thematic and cross-curricular teaching is essential for children to associate that skills learnt in one class are important tools for completing tasks within other subjects in school and tasks outside. Applebee, Langer, Mullis (1989) report why the change to this method or teaching is necessary while students are learning the basic information in core subject areas, they are not learning to apply their knowledge effectively in thinking and reasoning Marzano (1991) and Perkins (1991) build on this; they believe that these methods work towards addressing some recurring problems in education, one in particular being that of isolated skill instruction. Ofsteds report The Curriculum in Successful Primary Schools (2002) in which it was noted that successful schools were the ones in which The teachers recognised that where links are effective they enable pupils to apply the knowledge and skills learned in one subject to others. Because cross-curricular and thematic teaching involves the linking of activities that are designed around topics or themes as well as crossing numerous areas within the National Curriculum they provide an environment that fosters and encourages process learning and active involvement of all students (Fisher, 1991), this would therefore help teacher address the different learning styles of pupils within their classrooms. A claim that Komorowska (2001) backs up, stating that because teaching children is not systematic, the methods and techniques chosen by the teacher are of a higher significance than their results. With regards to the diverse learning styles that children have, experts have identified three (http://www.time4learning.com/learning-styles.shtml): Auditory learners remember by talking out loud, like to have things explained orally and may have trouble with written instructions. Auditory learners may talk to themselves when learning something new. Visual learners easily remember visual details and prefer to see what they are learning. They prefer to write down instructions and may have trouble following lectures. This type of learner enjoys art and drawing; reads maps, charts and diagrams well; fascinated with machines and inventions; plays with lego; likes mazes and puzzles. Kinesthetic learners prefer activities that allow them to do what they are learning about. Tactile learners like to touch things in order to learn about them and like to move around when talking or listening. Shows you rather than tells you. Through the use of thematic and cross curricular teaching, classroom teachers are able to cater for these three distinct groups of learners and, therefore, create an atmosphere in which each group remains interested in the lesson thus combating any boredom and increasing the pupils potential for learning. Former Secretary of State for Education and Skills, Charles Clarke, wrote in the Excellence and Enjoyment Strategy (2004), What makes good primary education great is the fusion of excellence and enjoyment. Children learn better when they are excited and engaged but what excites them and engages them best is truly excellent teaching, which challenges them and shows them what they can do. Which falls in line with Larsen-Freemans statement (2000) that learning becomes even more effective due to it being facilitated in a cheerful environment, and Resnicks (1989) claim that this method increases pupils motivation for learning and their level of engagement because they can see the value of what they are being taught and become more actively engaged in the lesson as opposed to the isolated skill learning that other methods offer. It is, however, important to consider general learning characteristics as well as the previously mentioned groups of characteristics and how these are successfully manipulated through the use of these methods. Thaiss (1986), Krogh (1990) and Jacobs (1989) all write that children that are able to use investigatory skills to explore what they are learning, and interact with other members of their learning community, whether thats other pupils, teachers or classroom assistants, actually learn more than those children that are not encouraged to ask questions and share opinions with other learners. Vygotsky (1962) gives us an explanation as to why this technique is successful. He pointed out that children who have different skills, learn from each other. This is because through the encouragement of investigation, questioning and working together, pupils are given the opportunity to see tasks from the point of view of others. Finally, the humanistic approach in teaching emphasises the importance of individual and distinctive characteristics of a human being and the desire for fulfilment. In education it means student-oriented teaching rather than teacher-oriented one Biskup (1990). Fisher et al says, what promotes creativity is a questioning classroom, where teachers and pupils ask unusual and challenging questions; where new connections are made; where ideas are represented in different ways- visually, physically and verbally; where there are fresh approaches and solutions to problems; and where the effects of ideas and actions are critically evaluated. In a humanistic classroom, such as the one that uses thematic and cross-curricular methods, the teacher is not only a supporter and helper but also a learner. This is because the work is based on themes that the teacher may not be used to, it brings the teacher down to the same level of the child and the pupil almost takes charge in investigating by askin g questions. The teachers main role is to create an atmosphere in which learners feel relaxed and do not have any inhibitions thus learners talents are exploited during the learning process. Of course, whilst there are numerous benefits to using these methods, there are also a number of drawbacks which must be considered. David Hart, former general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, Theme-based education will disadvantage pupils in the transition to secondary. And it will make the secondary teachers task much more difficult. This is to say that even though there may be benefits to teaching like this within a primary classroom, pupils heading from a largely thematic based style of teaching could possibly find that the generic style of teaching within secondary education i.e. topic-based learning, difficult to adjust to. Thus disadvantaging the pupils learning experience, compared to classmates who are used to this type of teaching. Further drawbacks of the methods include the need for ongoing collaboration between teachers and planning, as the themes must be carefully and thought through in order for them to be meaningful and make sense within the curriculum. Chris Woodhead, states in his report of 1992 that, Its harder for teachers to structure a coherent provision in the subjects that are worth studying if theyre trying to construct links between these subjects as well. The extra work that Woodhead comments on is necessary for the success of the methods because the intertwining of the curriculum within that one topic, as stated earlier, may be difficult and would require a lot of planning and collaboration with other members of staff, and without this extra work from the teachers it is possible that some content that could be covered may be missed. Finally, with regards to planning, the resources available to teachers within a school could also be a potential obstacle for the two methods. For example a school may not have sufficient ICT resources for all year groups to use in order to develop these skills during literacy or numeracy lessons. There is also the possibility that within these sessions that some pupils get confused and lose sight of the main concepts of the activity or lesson. This could be down to poor planning and organisation of the teacher or due to the pupil being over-stimulated with the many different activities in motion within the lesson, thus, resulting in the pupil being spread thinly across the lesson, leaving efforts for learning ineffective. The cross-curricula and thematic methods of teaching can be beneficial to teachers and students, as discussed previously they allow children to learn in a way that is most natural to them. As Scott and Ytreberg (1990) state: some children develop early, some later. Some children develop gradually, others in leaps and bounds. It is not possible that at the age of five all children can do x, at the age of seven they can all do y, or that at the age of ten they can all do z.. This is to say that children are all different human beings learning things at different rates. These methods allow all pupils to pick up the intended learning objectives and goals through this investigatory process, its through this process that the pupils become more responsible and engaged in their own learning. In effect this levels the playing field allowing the pupils to successfully complete the learning objective in their own way and within the intended period of time. However, it would be prudent to take t o these methods with caution as the drawbacks discussed do seem to have basis such as Biskup, D. (1990). Podejņºcie humanistyczne w nauczaniu jÄâ„ ¢zykà ³w obcych. JÄâ„ ¢zyki Obce w Szkole, 2-3, 118-124. Fisher, B. (1991). Joyful Learning: A Whole Language Kindergarten. Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann. Fisher, R and Williams, M. (2004). Unlocking Creativity. Oxon: David Fulton. p2. Komorowska, H. (2001). Metodyka nauczania jÄâ„ ¢zykà ³w obcych. Warszawa: Fraszka Edukacyjna. Krogh, S. (1990). The Integrated Early Childhood Curriculum. New York: McGraw-Hill. Larsen-Freeman, D. (2000). Techniques and principles in language teaching. New York: Oxford UP. Scott, W.A., Ytreberg, L.H. (1990). Teaching English to children. New York: Longman Inc. Shoemaker, B. Integrative Education: A Curriculum for the Twenty-First Century. Oregon School Study Council, 33/2 (1989).

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Sun Microsystems, Inc. Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Sun Microsystems, Inc. Sun Microsystems, Inc. is a worldwide provider of products, services and support solutions for building and maintaining network-computing environments. The Company sells scalable computer systems, high-speed microprocessors and high performance software for operating network computing equipment and storage products. The Company also provides support, education and professional services. The Company's products are used for many demanding commercial and technical applications in various industries including telecommunications, manufacturing, financial services, education, retail, government, energy and healthcare. Sun Microsystems' lines of business include Computer Systems and Storage, Enterprise Services, Software Systems and Network Service Provider. Computer Systems and Storage designs, develops and brings to market desktop systems, servers, storage and network switches, incorporating the UltraSPARC microprocessors and the Solaris Operating Environment. This segment also designs and develops UltraSPARC and MAJC microprocessors, computer board platforms, processor modules, chip sets and logic products for Sun systems products and OEM customers. The Company's workstation products include the Ultra5, Ultra 10, Ultra 60 and Ultra 80 models. The Ultra 5 workstation is used for business applications and for software development. The Ultra 10 workstation offers value and performance for 3-D graphics applications and is designed for applications such as drafting and design, animation and rendering, modeling and analysis. The Ultra 60 workstation, in both single and dual processor configurations, is suited for modeling and virtual prototyping, medical imaging, animation and geosciences. Finally, the Ultra 80 workstation has the highest memory bandwidth in the workstation product line with uniprocessor, dual-processor, and quad-processor configuration, and is well-suited for simulation, design and analysis, modeling and virtual prototyping, animation, imaging and visualization, medical imaging, research and development and financial modeling. Enterprise Services provides global services and support for heterogeneous network computing environments, including system/network management, systems integration, and support, education, and professional services. The Company's Sun Enterprise servers consist of workgroup servers, mid-range servers ... ... America Online, Inc. (AOL), the Sun-Netscape Alliance, the Company designs, develops, markets, and sells enterprise and E-commerce software for consumers and businesses under the iPlanet brand. These software products and technologies, commonly referred to as middleware, complement the Company's enterprise servers, storage and workstation products. Combined, these products provide customers with comprehensive solutions to their enterprise and Internet computing needs. In December 2000, the Company compelted the acquisition of Cobalt Networks, Inc., a provider of server appliances for Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Application Service Providers (ASPs), and small- to medium-sized businesses. The Company's competitors include Hewlett-Packard Company (HP), International Business Machines Corporation, Compaq Computer Corporation (Compaq) and EMC Corporation (EMC). The Company also competes with systems manufacturers and resellers of systems based on microprocessors from Intel Corporation (Intel) and Windows NT operating system software from Microsoft Corporation (Microsoft). These competitors include Dell Computer Corporation, HP and Compaq, in addition to Intel and Microsoft.