Pirates of the Silicon Valley Reflection

Pirates of the Silicon Valley Reflection

1. What are the factors that contributed to the success and failure of Steve Jobs as a founder of Apple Inc.?

Steve Jobs is a great speaker and sales-talker in a young age. He convinced tons of investors by feeding them information of a new technology. He was an American entrepreneur, marketer, and inventor, who was the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc. Through Apple, he is widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. As the new CEO of the company, Jobs oversaw the development of the iMac, iTunes, iPod, iPhone, and iPad, and on the services side, the company's Apple Retail Stores, iTunes Store and the App Store. Steve Jobs' Downfall was also the downfall of apple. Eleven long years after the mercurial young Apple co-founder was unceremoniously ousted by CEO John Sculley, Jobs is returning to the company he so loved clothed in glory. If Jobs' career were a quilt, it would be a patchwork of ermine and calico. The self-possessed, and some say obsessed, Jobs does nothing in half measures and so seems to reap his rewards in abject failure and stunning successes. Today brought him the latter. "I still have very deep feelings for Apple," Jobs said in a statement tonight, "and it gives me great joy to play a role in architecting Apple's future." 

2. How do you see yourself as a founder of a computer or software company?

If so, then I might see myself as a successful businessman. To do so, I should be a great marketer and an entrepreneur. If I am to see myself as a founder of a software company, that company could be greater than some companies that are existing today. I envisioned my company to be placed on a near-shore so I can relax anytime. Having a company full of happy employees is one of my ideal companies that I hope I will accomplish. A software company that I found must be good-for-everyone or user-friendly computer software that makes life easier than what we have now. Almost all companies rely heavily on their computer systems to keep track of data, day-to-day tasks and money. Even small businesses have moved away from pen and paper tracking, leaving ledger books to accumulate dust in storage bays. Years of data used to take up huge amounts of space with filing cabinets and boxes of records and paper in a storage closet, rarely accessed.

3. Whom do you think is an effective founder/head of the company? Bill Gates or Steve Jobs?

Bill Gates, for Bill Gates is wiser, good at maintaining his employees by not stressing them, and also an Inventor. Steve Jobs was clearly stressing his employees by watching their mistakes instead of their new creations which lead to his downfall. Bill Gates is far better than Steve Jobs at inventing new things or improvising things. Steve Jobs was relying on Steve Wozniak's ideas about computers. While Bill Gates is making things based on his own ideas and improved it with Steve Wozniak's ideal computers which is the Macintosh. Bill Gates' vision on the future were brighter than Steve Jobs'. Steve Jobs is not really a born leader for what has happened explained everything.

4.Would you take the same career path as Steve Jobs took? Why or why not?

No, Steve Jobs has a great speaking skills and charisma. Yet he wasted everything he invested with his unbearable attitude of finding people. He's a Perfectionist. I'd rather take Bill Gates' path, for his cleverness made him the richest person today. He maybe copied some of Apple's Ideas, yet he is still acknowledge by people who see his real genius doings. His ideas or products are definitely user-friendly. He envisioned the future of what does it need to make things easier. Bill Gates is a good role model for everyone who pursue their dreams that thinks they are bound to fail. Gates is one of the best-known entrepreneurs of the personal computer revolution. Gates has been criticized for his business tactics, which have been considered anti-competitive, an opinion which has in some cases been upheld by judicial courts. 

5. What is your over all reflection/reaction about the movie?

The movie The Pirates of Silicon Valley is simply a great movie. But at first I  thought the movie is all about how Apple and Microsoft born and rise. Most of the movie is all about Steve Jobs and Bill Gates steal ideas from Apple Inc. And then after I finished watching the movie, I then realized why it is titled "The Pirates of Silicon Valley". But I don't think Bill Gates actually stole the Operating System. He only stole the idea on how it works. But the story of the movie is all about how the two of the biggest computer company in the world compete. As I react on the movie, this is what came into my mind and what I conclude. That it is not enough to be a genius on your field. You should make a bad thing to achieve success. As the two gentlemen act after they become the man of their own company, issues came up and a lot of things happened between them. But the principal of all they have right now is their diligence in their work. They will not achieve what they have right now without working it hard.

Factors affecting Competitive Advantage

Factors affecting Competitive Advantage

The five-forces model:

• Rivalry among existing competitors
• Threat of new entrants
• Threat of substitute products and services
• Bargaining power of buyers
• Bargaining power of suppliers

1. Rivalry among existing competitors

Rivalry among industry players can affect industry profits through downward pressure on prices,  increased innovation, increased advertising, increased service/product improvements, among others. In economics, a monopoly industry structure earns the most profit while the “perfect competition” industry structure earns the least. An increase in competitive rivalry among existing firms brings an industry closer to the theoretical “perfect competition” state. Factors that increase competitive rivalry among existing firms include:

• Large Number of Firms: 
• Slowed Industry Growth
• High Fixed Costs or High Storage Costs
• High Exit Barriers

2. Threat of new entrants

Threat of new entrants refers to the threat new competitors pose to existing competitors in an industry. A profitable industry will attract more competitors looking to achieve profits. If it is easy for these new entrants to enter the market – if entry barriers are low – this poses a threat to the firms already competing in that market. More competition – or increased production capacity without concurrent increase in consumer demand – means less profit to go around.

High Threat of entry of new competitors when:

• Profitability does not require economies of scale
• Products are undifferentiated
• Brand names are not well-known
• Initial capital investment is low
• Consumer switching costs are low
• Accessing distribution channels is easy
• Location is not an issue
• Proprietary technology is not an issue
• Proprietary materials is not an issue
• Government policy is not an issue
• Expected retaliation of existing firms is not an issue

3. Threat of substitute products and services

Threat of substitutes definition is the availability of a product that the consumer can purchase instead of the industry’s product. A substitute product is a product from another industry that offers similar benefits to the consumer as the product produced by the firms within the industry.

The Threat of Substitutes Porter places High risk on:

• Consumer switching costs are low
• Substitute product is cheaper than industry product
• Substitute product quality is equal or superior to industry product quality
• Substitute performance is equal or superior to industry product performance

4. Bargaining power of buyers

An advantage to consumers that comes from gathering together to put collective pressure on producers to lower prices or improve quality. The bargaining power of buyers typically has the strongest effect on pricing when buyers are organized and they collectively account for much of the producer's income, they are interested in a product that has an excess of suppliers, and they are interested in making substantial purchases.

• The buyer group is concentrated, or purchases large volumes relative to the seller’s sales
• Products purchased from the industry represent a significant percentage of the buyer’s costs or purchases
• Products purchased from the industry are standard or undifferentiated

5. Bargaining power of suppliers

The bargaining power of suppliers comprises one of the five forces that determine the intensity of competition in an industry. The others are barriers to entry, industry rivalry, the threat of substitutes and the bargaining power of buyers.

The following conditions indicate that a supplier group is powerful:

• It is dominated by a small number of companies and is more concentrated than the industry to which it sells
• It is not required to contend with substitute products for sale in the industry
• The industry is not one of the supplier’s important customers
• Its products are an important part of the buyer’s business
• Its products are differentiated or there are built-up switching costs
• It poses a definite threat of forward integration

Types of Information Systems

Types of Information Systems
What are types of Information Systems? Give a specific example and images on each ISs.

1. Office Information Systems

  
  

An office information system, or OIS (pronounced oh-eye-ess), is an information system that uses hardware, software and networks to enhance work flow and facilitate communications among employees.  Win an office information system, also described as office automation; employees perform tasks electronically using computers and other electronic devices, instead of manually.

Example:

a registration department might post the class schedule on the Internet and e-mail students when the schedule is updated.

2. Transaction Processing Systems

A transaction processing system (TPS) is an information system that captures and processes data generated during an organization’s day-to-day transactions.  A transaction is a business activity such as a deposit, payment, order or reservation.

1.                   Recording a business activity such as a student’s registration, a customer’s order, an employee’s timecard or a client’s payment.

3. Management Information Systems

A management information system, or MIS (pronounced em-eye-ess), is an information system that generates accurate, timely and organized information so managers and other users can make decisions, solve problems, supervise activities, and track progress.  Because it generates reports on a regular basis, a management information system sometimes is called a management reporting system (MRS).

4. Decision Support Systems

  

A decision support system (DSS) is an information system designed to help users reach a decision when a decision-making situation arises.  A variety of DSSs exist to help with a range of decisions. Some decision support systems include query language, statistical analysis capabilities, spreadsheets, and graphics that help you extract data and evaluate the results.  Some decision support systems also include capabilities that allow you to create a model of the factors affecting a decision.  A simple model for determining the best product price.

Example:

Would include factors for the expected sales volume at each price level.  With the model, you can ask what-if questions by changing one or more of the factors and viewing the projected results.  Many people use application software packages to perform DSS functions.  Using spreadsheet software, for example, you can complete simple modeling tasks or what-if scenarios.

5. Expert Systems

An expert system  is an information system that captures and stores the knowledge of human experts and then imitates human reasoning and decision-making processes for those who have less expertise.  Expert systems are composed of two main components:  a knowledge base and inference rules.  A knowledge base is the combined subject knowledge and experiences of the human experts.  The inference rules are a set of logical judgments applied to the knowledge base each time a user describes a situation to the expert system.

Example: 

Experts predict that AI eventually will be incorporated into most computer systems and many individual software applications.  Many word processing programs already include speech recognition.

About Me

About Me

I am Sherwin Domini S. Duran, I'm 17 and currently in college. I like computer browsing and computer games. I'm not really good at socializing although I'm friendly. I dislike people who are mostly disrespectful.

I also like watching movies like Faction, Action, Fantasy, Crime.I'm also a fan of anime like Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, Fairy Tail, Death Note, Full Metal Alchemist and Kuruko no Basket. 

I graduated in Philippine Nikkei Jin Kai International School from elementary to high school. Then I enrolled in University of Southeastern Philippines with a degree course of Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology major in Automotive Technology. But I knew that course wasn't for me so I transfered in Mindanao Kokusai Daigaku with a degree course of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology and currently learning it. 

I want to be a commercial Pilot someday, although I know that it is expensive but I'll do everything that's necessary to achieve my goal.