State campaigns prove extremely useful in drawing public attention to particular problems in society. Nowadays people are overwhelmed with abundant information from television and the Internet. Activists require support from the government to be heard by the public. People use various social media tools to find supporters and create communities. The purpose of this study is to analyze four state campaigns on two important themes in the society of the U.S.
The state campaigns in Alaska and California attract public attention to the lack of physical activity and high obesity rates among citizens. One-third of children and two-thirds of adults in Alaska suffer from being overweight. The annual costs of medical treatment for obese citizens exceed four hundred million dollars. According to the site of the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, the “Play Every Day” campaign was launched in 2012 “to increase public awareness about the health risks of childhood obesity and the importance of the physical activity to prevent and reduce obesity” (ADHSS, 2013, para. 4). The campaign extensively uses social networking sites and online videos to tell people about the health benefits of physical activities. The main goal is to make families in Alaska more active and reduce the amount of fast food in their everyday meals.
A similar campaign has been launched in California. The main aim of authorities is to create healthy environments and promote healthy food in the cities. The activists of the campaign also use social media tools to inform the citizens of California about the importance of balanced nutrition and physical activities. The officials plan to make cities more suitable for active recreation by enlarging park territories and opening health food stores.
Child Safety is another big issue that needs constant attention from the public. The state of Florida has started a Water Safety for Kids Campaign (Glady, 2015). The main objective of the campaign is to teach children and parents basic rules of safety on water because swimming is the most common leisure activity for all people during the summer season. Parents often do not have the needed information and skills to save their children from drowning. As in the two previous cases, the campaign activists promote water safety rules on the Internet and control the access of children to pools. According to Glady (2015), “campaign will provide free books, coloring sheets, and informational videos to children, and events with puppet shows, guest speakers and readings of water safety books will be held in elementary schools, child care centers, libraries and book stores throughout Florida” (para. 5). In the meantime, Texas Health and Human Services have started a car safety campaign. This campaign also uses social networking sites to promote road safety rules.
State campaigns are extremely useful in raising public awareness about significant issues in society. The activists of all campaigns use social media tools to promote their ideas to a wide range of people and create communities that can help the officials in achieving their goals. Nowadays, people receive information from a multitude of sources. The number of events in the city and around the globe overwhelms people. They need to see rules and hear about certain facts regularly to remember them. Therefore, campaigns use public activities and the Internet to attract more attention from citizens. Nevertheless, state campaigns need significant financial support to achieve their goals.
References
ADHSS. (2013). About the play every day campaign. Web.
Glady, M. (2015). DCF launches water safety for kids campaign. Web.
An Interview With An App Designer
Questionnaire
- What challenges does an app designer normally face?
- Are there any fears or concerns when working on a new project?
- How has the arrival of free Internet access changed the usual app designer’s referral tasks?
- What happens with mobile applications today?
- What is the best way to adapt to the trends of a modern app design?
- Which factors determine an app success rate?
- What principles should an app designer stick to when working in a team?
- What should an app designer begin with when working on a new project?
- Are there any goals to guide a new project?
- What are the tips to always stay in the forefront and up-to-date?
Reflections
The role of software applications is difficult to underestimate in the life of modern society. Things like smartphones, tablets, and laptops have turned out to be an integral part of human activities, either related to work or entertainment. It has become an accepted norm to view individuals using their mobile devices in the streets, transport, and public areas, for those can deal with nearly any task a person might have and provide access to data regardless of place and time.
Normally, people download applications according to their needs and working specifics. As Gardner and Davis indicate in their book, “apps like SketchBook, Brushes, ArtStudio, Procreate, and ArtRage allows artists to draw, sketch, and paint using their smartphone or tablet” (120). It is known that the mentioned apps represent only a small group of software applications that are currently available for general usage. App designers introduce new projects to software developing companies on, a practical, daily basis. Of course, in the times when apps have flooded the market and covered a wide variety of social spheres, introducing something unique and generally recognized turns out to be a matter of high-level creativity and professionalism. Naturally, it creates a whole number of challenges for a successful app designer and drives him/her to unveil all of the available potentials.
Key Questions and Answers
The secrets of a successful app design predominantly lie in a designer’s ability to orientate in modern trends and quickly cope with acquired data. Guello stresses, “there’s more to designing mobile apps than meets the eye. The task requires a deep knowledge of devices” (par. 1). As one, probably, knows, the range of mobile appliances gets wider with every next day. Thus, it forces everyone involved in the process of app development to skip a standard way of thinking and take an individual approach to every single platform and gadget available on the market.
What Challenges an App Designer Normally Faces?
Whenever it comes to developing mobile applications, there are always challenges like learning new things, studying users’ needs, skipping the outlived ideas, and attempting to surprise a user. If one works on an educational application, the concept requires providing an intuitive interface and giving exhaustive information on a topic. As the researchers state, students tend to conceptualize learning applications as a game (Israel et al. 61-62). Naturally, learning a new material flows faster in the form of gameplay.
Are There Any Fears or Concerns When Working on a New Project?
There are always concerns about how an application will be accepted by the audience, how functional it will be, and whether it will be optimized for the needs of a specific platform. Competition is tense on the app market, so no mistakes are allowed. This statement makes particular sense when working on a “medium with unprecedented interactions”, requiring maximum focus (Guello par. 3).
How Has the Arrival of Free Internet Access Changed the Usual App Designer’s Referral Tasks?
Before the unlimited access to the Internet arrived, designers were involved in printing mostly (Guello par. 5). Now they face a whole variety of tasks that are, in the majority of cases, refer to developing software for interactive media. The presence of various platforms makes those tasks even more complex.
What Happens with Mobile Applications Today?
People got accustomed to taking their smartphones everywhere with them and finding information regardless of their geographical location. With regards to this fact, current mobile applications tend to look more like mini-websites, providing their users with maximum convenience and easy-to-follow functions. Although they lack informativity in comparison to desktop applications, these apps still enjoy wide popularity among users of portable devices.
What is the Best Way to Adapt to the Trends of a Modern App Design?
Adapting to the trends of modern design is impossible without considering such factors as users’ needs and technology innovations. A successful app designer always has a couple of pre-cast ideas and can provide a quick sketch at any time, even without any computer at hand. Also, he aims at conquering various platforms, e.g. iOS, Android, Windows Phone, instead of just one particular system (Guello).
Which Factors Determine an App Success Rate?
To provide users with a functional and user-friendly application designers and programmers apply for one key principle – they work as a single unit, not as separate divisions. They use identical tools, refer to similar programming languages, and have access the same sources of information. Such an approach allows them to view a matter from a variety of sides and, thus, succeed on the market.
What Principles Should an App Designer Stick to when Working in a Team?
One should realize that developers are allies and not foes. A successful app designer learns to use the same tools his colleagues do and is not afraid of asking questions. Also, his/her progress in work is supposed to be a bit faster than that of programmers.
What Should an App Designer Begin with when Working on a New Project?
The best thing to start with is to draw a prototype. One can make a picture of it then and see how it is suited for smartphone needs, what enhancements need to be made, etc. Any creative work begins with a draft.
Are there Any Goals to Guide a New Project?
When app designer works on a medium, he aims at its further evolution. There is no such concept as a finished project; there are always things to improve/update. User’s approval is a primary goal one is supposed to set forward. Therefore, he/she needs to be ready to continue working on a project at any time.
What Are the Tips to Always Stay Up-to-date?
The only possible tip is to change a conventional way of thinking and start considering the market’s rules. For that purpose, one never stops learning the new trends and users’ requirements.
Summarizing all that was said above, one may state that work of an app designer is, to a higher extent, correlated with bringing society exactly what it requires – functional and easy-to-follow applications for their portable devices. The tendency to use mobile apps regardless of place and time and a desire to have access to tons of information through a couple of touches still keep a profession relevance high. However, to meet public’s expectations, one needs to demonstrate all the available potential and boast versatility of a thinking manner.
Works Cited
Israel, Maya, et al. “Fifth Graders as App Designers: How Diverse Learners Conceptualize Educational Apps.” Journal of Research on Technology in Education, vol. 46, no. 1, 2013, pp. 53-80.
Gardner, Howard, and Katie Davis. The App Generation: How Today’s Youth Navigate Identity, Intimacy, and Imagination in a Digital World. Yale University Press, 2013.
Guello, Javier. “How to Think Like an App Designer.” Smashing Magazine, 2015, Web.
Common Organizational Business Processes And ERP Systems
Common organizational business structures and processes are multifactorial and complex, consisting of multiple processes. This paper will seek to explore the key processes including finance, procurement, fulfillment, inventory and warehouse management, and manufacturing that involved in business functionality. The overview will examine purpose, activities, and organizational elements as well as the enterprise resource planning systems appropriate to each category.
The Finance Process
All businesses operate on cash flow in one way or another, making the finance process essentially critical to every type of organization. The finance process is overseen by the finance department which oversees the procurement, management, and spending of funds and assets ensuring that the business has available cash and sustainable flow of income versus expenses. The primary responsibility of financing is general accounting which oversees daily expenditure, record-keeping, and financial management such as bookkeeping, payroll, and financial statement preparation (Gartenstein, 2019). The finance process also includes financial controls which includes strategic and long-term decisions, which may involve upper management as well. These responsibilities include planning and ensuring that the budget is followed. Management of long-term responsibilities such as investments, taxes, and financial risks are critical to financial control to guarantee the fiscal health of a company (AccountingEducation, n.d.).
As seen in the chart above, the chief financial officer (CFO) of a company typically oversees organization’s finances and accounting functions, reporting directly to the CEO (“Managerial accounting,” 2012). The finance process ultimately begins with strategic planning when the long-term objectives of a company are determined and financed. A financial plan must be created and implemented to ensure both day-to-day functionalities and long-term financing needs are met (Gartenstein, 2019). ERP processes can significantly simplify and improve efficiency of multiple financial activities. First, the accounting procedures are automated through ERP software which improves financial productivity. Various accounting procedures such as management of payments to vendors and wages to staff are automated. Another way that ERP benefits organizations is accuracy and reliability of data, keeping track of all financial transactions, and compiling it in line with standards (Roehl-Anderson, 2010). This allows for finance departments to concentrate more on core operations and strategic planning while automating the tedious processes.
The Procurement Process
Procurement in an organization is a series of activities and processes to acquire necessary products, goods, and services for operations from the best suppliers at the optimal price. Modern supply chains make procurement management a strategic function of integrating internal and external resources, control of risks, and operational function in lower costs. With the development of complex supply chains, companies outsource in order to implement strategies, highlighting the importance of suppliers. Therefore, the core of procurement management is extensive ranging from order processing to managing external sources of supply. Firms seeks to acquire resources with the most optimal cost, schedule, quality, and quantity via activities such as resource development, supplier selection and qualification, and supplier relationship (Jiang, 2017).
The role of procurement is broad, encompassing market analysis, supplier negotiations, transport and logistics, storage and warehousing, and procurement technologies among others. Responsibilities may include identification of requirements for goods, materials, and services – the point where the procurement process ultimately begins. This is followed by identifying reliable suppliers, price negotiations, delivery terms comparison. Finally, there is the establishing order quantities, coordinating delivery, product and quality control (Procurement Practitioner’s Handbook, 2012). Furthermore, procurement department also has to manage budgets and payments, in coordination with the financial department. There are two elements to procurement, strategic and operational procurement. Operational procurement focuses on administrative aspects, day-to-day operations, and short-term or repeating tasks in the process of ordering, invoicing, and receiving inventory. Strategic procurement is focused on planning high-level decision-making and tasks that are related to such activities. Furthermore, the department can set an overall direction and strategy to meet the company’s needs and possibilities, as well as evaluate and form long-term relationships with suppliers (Ho, 2009).
ERP is commonly utilized in procurement activities to manage the process, oversee budgets, and track spending. ERP optimizes many elements of the process by automation, with common and consistent orders being placed automatically as well as purchase planning for tracking of inventory data for accurate ordering. ERP technology can aid in boosting profit margins by connecting business processes with accounting as well as intelligently comparing data from suppliers including details of transactions and delivery results (Pinto & Morris, 2007). Overall, the elimination of manual processes can aid in efficiency and improve insight to the process.
The Fulfillment Process
ERP software can have significant impacts on the fulfillment process by creating efficient workflows from the warehouse to customer deliver. These workflows may include quote-to-quote order, order-to-fulfillment, and invoice-to-payment – becoming efficient through automatization and removing redundancies. Examples include software being integrated with delivery services to automatically determine freight charges and calculate costs. The picking process can be expedited as well as distributors may choose to purchase the product in bulk but sell individually, with the ERP system converting measurements and organizing pick sequences. The returns process will benefit as well with the software tracking which items have been returned and the cause, contributing to quality control (FullQuota Editor, 2013).
The Inventory and Warehouse Management Process (IWM)
Inventory and warehouse management is an umbrella term encompassing everything that occurs in an organization’s storage location, most commonly a warehouse, and the primary activity includes the managing of inventory but can be much more expansive. Inventory can be defined as goods that a business owns and plans to either sell or use for a manufacturing process. Inventory is considered an asset, recorded on the balance sheet and constantly evaluated. Tracking and management of inventory is critical for success for the company as it engages in business and moves the inventory. Inventory and warehouse management is the most complex element of a supply chain, including activities ranging from fulfilling and shipping orders, distribution, maintaining track and quality of inventory, manage transportation, analyzing logistics and customer needs among many others that can be seen in the chart below. The objective of any inventory and warehouse management process is to “enable quick response to the custom and highly-accelerated inventory flow” (Schmula, 2010).
ERB such as a warehouse management system (WMS) software are highly necessary and have become the cornerstone of the logistics process. WMS helps to configure and manage elements of storage, distribution, and shipping with operations such overseeing inventory balance, material management, pickup processes and auditing. The software aids in making vital processes efficient including maintaining accuracy of inventory with real-time information and benefit of other technologies such as barcode or RFID that accurately track inventory levels, to leverage business operations or seasonal demand in centralized manner to avoid any potential gaps in stock (Lahoti, 2018).
The Manufacturing Process
The manufacturing process are steps when raw materials transformed into the final product. When manufacturing beings, a company has the choice as to the type of manufacturing process it uses, which can vary depending on resources, staff, and information systems it has available. Furthermore, manufacturing process varies depending on final product, whether it is large batches of similar goods or small numbers of custom or complex items. More manufacturing processes typically utilize a production line, with the product moved sequentially along the line and worked upon at specific stations where operations are performed as it is gradually assembled by humans or machines. Other manufacturing processes include continuous flow, custom manufacturing, and fixed position manufacturing (Murray, 2018). Manufacturing typically begins with either orders being placed or a business needing to fill its inventory.
As seen in the organizational chart below, manufacturing represents a major element of an organization. It consists of various sub-elements including production planning, technical design, production, quality assurance, and equipment maintenance. Commonly the manufacturing department works closely with sales and procurement departments to determine orders as well as inventory management where raw materials are stored and completed goods go into inventory. There is cooperation with technical departments that create the product designs and conduct research and development that directly affects the manufacturing process.
ERP and IT systems are essential in the modern, highly automated manufacturing process for businesses. Experts agree that digital and automated manufacturing operations are key to succeeding in the challenging market. Systems such as the Manufacturing Execution System (MES) offers certain benefits such as centralized management of systems, comprehensive data collection to eliminate redundancies and improve quality, and introducing integrate manufacturing operations management digitally. Manufacturing thrives on efficiency, ranging from speed of output to energy monitoring to equipment effectiveness, all of which are possible through the industrial Internet of Things and other IT tools for business analytics (SAP, n.d.).
References
AccountingEducation. (n.d.). Function of finance department. Web.
BSE Logistics. (n.d.). Warehouse management. Web.
Edraw. (n.d.). Manufacturing organizational charts. Web.
FullQuota Editor. (2013). Is ERP distribution software the key to speeding up order fulfillment? Web.
Gartenstein, D. (2019). What roles does the finance department play in a business. Web.
Ho, S. (2009). BLC 304/05 procurement management. Wawasan Open University. Web.
Jiang, Z. (2017). Procurement management in the supply chain environment: Practical guide to understanding procurement management and enhancing procurement effectiveness and efficiency. Chartridge Books Oxford.
Koppelman, L. (2020). What is order fulfillment. Web.
Lahoti, N. (2018). Warehouse management system – Role and functions in logistics chain. Web.
Managerial accounting. (2012). Saylor Academy. Web.
Murray, M. (2018). A guide to the manufacturing production process. The Balance Small Business.
Pandey, A. (2019). The order fulfillment process. Web.
Pinto, J. K., & Morris, P. G. (2007). The Wiley guide to project technology, supply chain, and procurement management. Wiley
Roehl-Anderson, J. M. (2010). IT best practices for financial managers. Wiley.
SAP. (n.d.). Manufacturing.
Schwartz, L. (2020). What is order fulfillment? Process & strategies. Web.
Shmula (2012), Warehouse management processes. Web.