Abstract of My Ph.D Thesis

Prof.SATYA SIDHARTHA PANDA

M.B.A.,M.J.M.C .,CCMM,(Ph.D)

BANGALORE -INDIA

Submitted @ Einstein International University ,U.S.A
Abstract
Satisfaction drives the engines for business to invest and reap benefits. Most of all satisfaction brings life and business much closer towards moments of worthiness of the time spent.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has blossomed as a movement in recent years, driven partly by growing pressures on companies from NGOs, customers and other stakeholders, and partly by companies choosing voluntarily to push ahead in this area. But as firms have expanded their CSR activities, the sophistication of tools available to understand the value and business impacts of such activities has lagged behind. While an impressive range of initiatives, indices and tools have been or are being developed, allowing some form of measurement, these are of limited use in guiding actual investment decisions on CSR: for example, many focus on whether CSR has minimized risks, and thus neglect the business opportunities that it may help capture. Likewise many fail to differentiate between CSR issues that impact business performance from those that are marginal in this respect.
Corporate social responsibility is at least in its name and formal recognition a relatively recent phenomenon. Yet, owners and managers of firms have engaged in activities that we would now consider CSR almost from the beginning of the industrial revolution (Davis, Whitman and Zald, 2006). But, until the 1990s, CSR was generally limited to corporate philanthropy. It is from the early 1990s that enlarged concepts and practices of CSR have come to the fore. What drove these radical changes in the conception and implementation of CSR?
Objective of the Study
The research is undertaken to test the proposition that the ethics, Market Value and CSR Practices of corporations based in the United states differ dramatically from corporations based in Europe and other countries .The analysis is meant to provide companies with a better understanding of the similarities and differences between the U.S, India and most Asian, Europe and other countries business environments. I want to inform all the companies of the current business climate in Europe and other countries by taking a closer look at government regulation, company policies, best practices and opinion surveys. This timely study uses a blend of qualitative and quantitative research to provide the necessary data to develop recommendation and make concluding statements.
4

Literature
Finding comparable information in Europe and other countries took a more thorough search. A Careful review of the latest industry publications, on-governmental organization reports, academic journals and leading periodicals was used to provide theory, track the history of regulations, and stay up to date on reactions to recent corporate scandals. A sample is collected to help evaluate whether American, India, Europe and other countries company policies and procedures regarding business ethics and CSR differed. The company information was often not easily accessible causing time constraints that kept the sample size to 18 companies across 4 industries. I relied on information publicly available in February 2004 through the companies, websites, reports and business database at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. Using the qualitative data from the sample, I documented patterns and trends of corporate business ethics and social responsibility, and identified patterns of differentiation across industries and geography.

Finally what is proposed, therefore, is to select and work with a number of these global leaders and study how they decide which CSR activities create value. The basic aim of this research will be to understand better the link between responsibility and the Impact on the market Value and thereby bringing new insight in to the CSR dialogue.

Regards,
Prof.S.Sidhartha Panda
JAI HIND **

CASE STUDY : THINK OUT OF THE BOX

Case Problems:
1. Company X is facing a lot of problems these days. It manufactures white goods like
washing machines, microwave ovens, refrigerators and air conditioners. The company’s
margins are under pressure and the profits and market share are declining. The
production department blames marketing for not meeting sales targets and marketing
blames production department for producing goods, which are not of good quality
meeting customers’ expectations. The finance department blames both production and
marketing for declining return on investment and bad marketing.
What quality of management do you think the company is lacking? Explain briefly. What steps
should the company management take to bring the company back on track?
2. A company wants to modify its existing product in the market due to decreasing sales. You
can imagine any product about which you are familiar. What decisions/steps should each
level of management take to give effect to this decision?
3. A firm plans in advance and has a sound organization structure with efficient supervisory
staff and control system. On several occasion it finds that plans are not being adhered to. It
leads to confusion and duplication of work. Advise remedy.
These activities are meant to reinforce concepts and to make the learning joyful. They also
aim to give pupils simulated experiences of the managerial activities relevant to their level of
understanding.
*******************

Problem 1
‘F’ limited was engaged in the business of food processing and selling its products under a popular brand.
Lately the business was expanding due to good quality and reasonable prices. Also with more people
working the market for processed food was increasing. New players were also coming to cash in on the
new trend. In order to keep its market share in the short run the company directed its existing workforce
to work overtime. But this resulted in many problems. Due to increased pressure of work the efficiency of
the workers declined. Sometimes the subordinates had to work for more than one superior resulting
in declining efficiency. The divisions that were previously working on one product were also made to
work on two or more products. This resulted in a lot of overlapping and wastage. The workers were
becoming undisciplined. The spirit of teamwork, which had characterized the company, previously was
beginning to wane. Workers were feeling cheated and initiative was declining. The quality of the products
was beginning to decline and market share was on the verge of decrease. Actually the company had
implemented changes without creating the required infrastructure.
Questions:
1. Identify the Principles of Management (out of 14 given by Henry Fayol) that were being violated by
the company.
2. Explain these principles in brief.
3. What steps should the company management take in relation to the above principles to restore the
company to its past glory?
Problem 2 (Related to case problem –1)
The management of company ‘F’ Limited now realized its folly. In order to rectify the situation it
appointed management consultant ‘M’ consultants to recommend a restructure plan to bring the company
back on the rails. ‘M’ consultants undertook a study of the production process at the plant of the company
‘F’ limited and recommended the following changes —
1. The company should introduce scientific management with regard to production.
2. Production Planning including routing, scheduling, dispatching and feedback should be implemented.
3. In order to separate planning from operational management ’Functional foremanship’ should be
introduced.
4. ‘Work study’ should be undertaken to optimize the use of resources.
5. ‘Standardization’ of all activities should be implemented to increase efficiency and accountability.
6. To motivate the workers ‘Differential Piece Rate System’ should be implemented.
7. The above changes should be introduced apart from the steps recommended in case problem-1 (as an answer to
question no 3 of that case problem). It was expected that the changes will bring about a radical transformation in the
working of the company and it will regain its pristine glory.
Questions:
1. Do you think that introduction of scientific management as recommended by M consultants will result in intended
Outcome?
2. What precautions should the company undertake to implement the changes?
Give your answer with regard to each technique separately as enunciated in points 1 through 6 in the case problem.

CSR

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
This literature review was written by Prof.Satya Sidhartha Panda,(Ph.D.)
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has blossomed as a movement in recent years, driven partly by growing pressures on companies from NGOs, customers and other stakeholders, and partly by companies choosing voluntarily to push ahead in this area. But as firms have expanded their CSR activities, the sophistication of tools available to understand the value and business impacts of such activities has lagged behind. While an impressive range of initiatives, indices and tools have been or are being developed, allowing some form of measurement, these are of limited use in guiding actual investment decisions on CSR: for example, many focus on whether CSR has minimized risks, and thus neglect the business opportunities that it may help capture. Likewise many fail to differentiate between CSR issues that impact business performance from those that are marginal in this respect

The emergence of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) as important institutional actors in the global political economy is a relatively recent phenomenon (Doh/ Teegen, 2002). The growing importance of NGOs in major global policy debates represents both a response to, and an element of, the globalization phenomenon. NGO influence has been felt in a range of major public policy debates, and NGO activism is responsible for major changes in corporate behavior and policy. Multinational corporations (MNCs) now are increasingly confronted by a range of international agreements and codes of conduct that attempt to govern their behavior, many of which are driven by NGO pressure. During the past decade, concerns over the downsides of economic globalization, particularly in the environmental and labor areas, have contributed to the growth of codes of conduct (Drezner 2000, Williams 2000, Kearney 1999). Such codes are viewed by many NGOs as a means to reign in the excesses of globalization. Codes may take the form of international agreements, or be sponsored by international organizations, the private sector, or non-profit organizations.

Krishak Bharati Coopertive Limited (KRIBHCO) is the world’s premier fertilizer producing cooperative having outstanding track record to its credit in all spheres of its activities. KRIBHCO has fully imbibed the cooperative philosophy and has made sustained efforts towards promoting the cause of modern agriculture and agriculture cooperatives in the country.

Having its genesis in farmers’ cooperatives, social development and humane facets have always been of prime focus in its growth and philosophy – an organization which owes its existence to the farmers, by the farmers and for the farmers of this great country.

SERVICES TO COOPERATIVES AND FARMERS

Ø The Society since inception has made vigorous efforts towards the development of farm technologies and other welfare schemes for upliftment of the farming community. Over 1600 programmes on crop seminars, farmers meetings, block demonstration, field days, Kisan Melas, farmers visit, agriculture campaigns health checkup campaigns, veterinary health check up camps and income generation programmes etc. have been conducted which have benefitted about 2.5 lac farmers across the country.

Ø Around 400 programmes on cooperative conference, workshops and state consultative committee meetings have been organized with a view to strengthen the cooperative system.

Ø A variety of facilities like farm implements, furniture, technical assistance towards improvement in godown facilities etc. are being provided to the economically weaker societies.

Ø Around 50,000 soil and water samples have been tested and recommendations made available to the farmers to improve and enhance their produce.

Ø Krishak Parivar Sangams have been organized in 14 states on the theme dry land farming and farm technology.

Ø KRIBHCO has established Krishi Paramarsh Kendra at its corporate office for facilitating farmers in providing information and advise on micro nutrients soil testing, soil improvement, latest farm technology through internet and also KRIBHCO Kisan Helpline.

SEED MULTIPLICATION PROGRAMME

With a view to provide quality certified seeds of main crops to the farmers, KRIBHCO has established most modern seed processing plants situated in 9 states. From a modest production of 2,982 Qtls of quality seeds in 1991-92, KRIBHCO today provides 1.54 lakh Qtls of the quality seeds to the farmers annually.

GRAMIN VIKAS TRUST (GVT)

Ø KRIBHCO established Gramin Vikas Trust which is managing Rural Development Rainfed Farming Projects which are jointly funded by DFID and KRIBHCO. The primary objective of GVT is to enhance livelihood and elevate poverty of the tribal and rural population in the rainfed regions of the country through facilitating farming systems, development and research, institution building and beneficiary participation.
Ø The GVT projects have successfully developed JANKAR system whereby village volunteers are trained and equipped to take forward the project intervention and dissemination of project approaches and technologies so that they can act as animator for the development programmes.

BIO-FERTILISERS

Ø Continuous promotional and educative programmes are being conducted to increasingly make farmers aware of benefits derived through use of bio-fertilisers.
Ø KRIBHCO has established Bio-fertiliser Plants in order to provide eco-friendly and cost effective fertilizers. The tremendous efforts putforth by KRIBHCO in this direction has been acknowledged for three consecutive years by National Productivity Council by awarding first position to KRIBHCO for production, marketing and promotion of bio-fertilisers in the Nation.

Ø Conclusion
Ø The modern concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is evolving gradually despite several hindrances. Driving forces behind this evolution is pressure from various stakeholders (Importers, Environmentalists) while slow progress is attributed to lack of Good Governance, absence of strong labor unions, consumer forums and above all lack of understanding by business houses, specifically non-exporting ones, that CSR is not charity but is rather an instrumental PR investment.

Nation Builder

Nation Builder.
Prof.Satya Sidhartha Panda (Ph.D.)
This Poem is dedicated to My Father, Mother and My Gurus.

Teachers
The nation Builders,
Deal with children
With love and affection,
Never make them gloomy
Preach them to be dreamy
Life is not a burden
But full of flavor
And full of Fun.
Release them from bookish burden
Free from fear and tension,
Give them only a scanty load,
Help to fly like bird,
Let them understand life,
Teacher is none but a true friend,
And school/ college, a play ground.
Be an example
Often face them with a smile
Keep your sorrows and misery in exile
You’re the burning candle
Your glamour, your Endeavour
`II make the world a heaven
Teachers,
The builders of the Nation.
Gurudev I need your Blessing !!

Leadership and LOVE

LEADERSHIP AND LOVE
By
Prof.Satya Sidhartha Panda (Ph.D.)
Published in the Management News Bulletin March 11th 2006
Leadership is the capacity to frame plans and the quality to persuade others to carry them out in all difficulties-even death.

It is well known that in every human activity a leader is needed to guide a group of people .In general the head of a family is the most common Leader, be it the “Father “or “Mother”, under their leadership comes the happiness and fortune of the family .Persons who have observed strict Disciple and developed the power of discrimination to judge what is right and what is wrong can become ideal LEADERS. They possess individual character and social morality. They strive for purity in thought, word and deed.

Leadership in its complete sense is virtually non - existent in business. People who claim to be leaders in business are not chosen b by their followers; they are selected by those above them and are expected to “LEAD” people by controlling them.

Yet in its true sense leadership is not holding a Position ,it is behavior .Being chosen to manage a group does not qualify one as leader of that group until the behavior that include relationship building efforts – (Care ,love ,affection) create an environment of trust ,commitment and service of followers. In return, Subordinates acknowledge the leadership through their efforts to achieve collective goals and willingness to follow.

Love is not growing in green plantations, nor can it be bought in the market place .They key of effective leadership lies in love. In love, there is an insistence on supporting each other .The practical manifestation of love is in removing sorrow of others and in giving happiness to others. That is why the effective formula for leadership, is based on the example of self less love of a mother for her infants, indeed, a leader has to surpass even a mother.


A good Leader knows his people better than their mothers do and cares even more .The formula works with unfailing success at all levels of leadership. To lead and to lead well is the most challenging role a man can play.






J.R.D.Tata, a great leader of the country said,’ to be a Leader you must lead beings with affection ***

magic word : Discipline

Magic word: - DISCIPLINE
By
Prof.Satya Sidhartha Panda (Ph.D.)
Discipline is essential, Make it a Habit.
Everybody in this world wants to succeed and live happily. If we do our duty in full enthusiasm and dedication nothing is impossible in this world.
Here is a magic word “DISCIPLINE” which signifies 100 % of its Value.

Let A = 1, B= 2, C= 3, D= 4………………….. X =24, Y = 25 & Z= 26,
Then D I S C I P L I N E
4 9 19 3 9 16 12 9 14 5

By adding the number we get
4 + 9 + 19 +3 +9+16+12+9+14+5 = 100 %
So DISCIPLINE = 100 % (Proved)


D = Dedication
I = Integrity
S= Sincerity
C= Character
I = Intelligent
P= Professional
L=Laborious
I =Incarnation
N= Non-Violent
E= Energetic / Enthusiastic
So the magic word proves itself to be 100 % Perfect. Persons, who are disciplined, will be surely and undoubtedly succeed in their life and live happily.

Know where Motivation comes from

Know where Motivation comes from

Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.
There was a manager named Tom who came early to a seminar we were presenting on Leadership .He was attired in an olive green polo shirt and white pleated slacks ready for a day of golf..
The golfer Tom walked to the front of the room and said,”Look , your session is not mandatory, so I am not planning on attending.”
“That`s fine ,but I wonder why you came early to this session to tell us that. There must be something that you`d like to know.’’
“Well , yes there is,” the manager confesses.’ All I want to know is how to get my people on the sales team to improve. How do I manage them?’
“Is that all you want to know ?”
“Yes, that`s it ,” declared the manager.
“Well , we can save you a lot of time and make sure that you get to your golf game on time ”
The manager Tom learned forward, waiting for the words of wisdom that he could extract about how to manage his people .

And we told him:
“You can`t.”
“What”
“You can`t manage anyone. So there, you can go and have a great game.”
“What are you saying?”Asked the manager.”I thought you give whole seminars on motivating others. What do you mean, I can`t?”
“We do give whole seminars on this topic. But one of the first things we tech managers is that they can`t really directly control their people. Motivation always comes from within your employee, not from you.”
“So what is it you do teach?”
“We teach you how to get people to motivate them-selves. That is the key. And you do that by managing agreements, not people. And that is what we are going to discuss this morning.”
The manager put his car keys in his pocket and sat down in the first seat closest to the front of the room for the rest of the seminar.

**************************************************************

Oneness:There is one Religion,the Religion of Humanity

Oneness
“There is the one religion, the religion of Humanity.”
There is something within each of us, within each being, each creature, that is the same in all. This innermost essence knits all existence into a mystical oneness in which all differences are transcended and dissolved; it is when you are activated in the depth of your being that you get the blessing of this oneness.
This oneness goes beyond the barriers of creed or dogma or theology of any sect or cult.It is the deepest innermost essence of each individual spirit .It is the inner stirring within the heart of the individual that is the eternal religion, that is the one great power that pervades the whole world, which immediately makes one kin with all that exists. It makes a human being kin, not only with another human being , but even with a blade of grass ,or a flower , or a little beetle , or a bee ,or even with all nature through this power .It is the power .It is the power of God`s love.

And the power of God`s love stirs, not in the human brain or the human intellect, but in the human heart. It is this power that makes one give up one`s life for the life of another, to do anything for the benefit of another .No sacrifice is too great. A sacrifice.”I lose nothing. I gain if my brother is the gainer, because my brother is my own self. Everyone is my own self, my own reflection.” For ultimately, that is the supreme commandment of all the great ones: to love one another.

At this moment in time, at the close of the 2oth century, let us all make up our minds that whosoever is with us , whosoever is in front of us ,is my neighbor , my brother , my sister .Let us relate ourselves to one another by expressing His love and in this way strive to overcome the clash and conflict , hatred and violence that is so prevalent nowadays .That the brotherhood and harmony of all living being may prevail .
Jai Hind
Prof.Satya Sidhartha Panda.
Bangalore-India

The Problem of not creating Problems

The problem of not creating problems

Sometimes success can be a corporation’s biggest enemy. In the case of Henry Ford, he did not continually develop himself as a problem creator. Instead of managing problems he intentionally created, he focused on solving a problem that had, for the most part, been solved. What he experienced next was a big problem.

For example, once most households owned a car, he stayed focused on making the automobile still more affordable. As a result, the window of opportunity was left open for General Motors. GM created the next problem in the auto industry: people could now drive a car in any colour they chose and could select from a variety of new models.

In 1924, GM launched their innovative line of automobiles. As a result, Ford lost tremendous market share. Ford’s market share dropped from 50% in 1926 to 20% in 1950[1]. Conversely, GM’s market share increased from 20% in 1926 to 50% in 1950.

In the case of Sony, they were the innovator of the Walkman. However, Apple dominates the digital personal audio market with 78 percent market share in the U.S today. Could Sony have created the iPod? Or did the possibility of changing their infrastructure to support a new innovative product look like a problem?

In the midst of chaos, there is always the difficulty of distinguishing opportunity from disruption. In most cases, it depends on your mindset/perspective. It is not that chaos itself is inherently a problem. It is the mindset of the individual that will determine how clearly they can see what is in front of them and the actions that ensue. It is analogous to a captain of a boat steering a ship though a violent storm. The captain must always keep his eye on what he is committed to accomplishing – return to shore. Once his or her mind drifts and focuses on what’s wrong, his or her ship is sunk.

[1] Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne, page 195.

Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Necessity is the Mother of Invention

In 1908 Henry Ford created a problem. He stated that he would make it possible for most households in the US to purchase a car. This was at a time when only 2% of the US population earned enough income to buy an automobile.

In the late 1800s, the cost of an automobile was $1,500. The average annual income in the US was $750. This gave Henry Ford the insurmountable problem of capturing 98% of the market. In 1908, he launched the Model T for $850. By 1924, when most households owned an automobile, the cost of the Model T was $290[1].

By building the assembly line, the problem he created was solved. He was able to significantly reduce the cost of making a vehicle. As a result, the Ford Motor Company successfully increased market share from 9% in 1908 to 61% in 1921[2].

In 1979, Sony brilliantly created the personal audio market with the Walkman. The problem they created was simple: develop a device that allows individuals to privately listen to music anywhere, anytime.

These are excellent examples of enterprises stepping out of the box and creating problems. Was it enough? Creating problems requires that leaders have the competency called mindset or intrapersonal skills – a clear understanding of relationship with self, opportunity, the future, change and others – before they can effectively managing chaos. Strong intrapersonal skills can empower an individual in the face of risk or uncertainty. It also contributes to one’s ability to continue to learn beyond the proverbial comfort zone.
[1] Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne, page 194.
[2] Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne, page 194.

unlock Employee Motivation through Personality Testing

Unlock Employee Motivation through Personality Testing
SATYA SIDHARTHA PANDA (Ph.D.)
Remember that really smart co-worker, the one who had so many
answers he could run the company, but who put in minimal effort
and seemed unconcerned with promotions? Or your boss who had
brilliant ideas for product improvements, but couldn't motivate
direct reports to get anything done? Personality testing might have
unearthed the key to unlock their motivation and prompt the
performance you knew they were capable of. We have all seen people
who know could be wildly successful, if they ju st tried harder or
were better fit for their roles. Or people whose inability to maintain
positive working relationships unde rmined their other contributions.
What explains these strange gaps in performance? Can we know in
advance who will best "fit" the job at hand and what motivates them
to succeed?
Actually, yes. Decades of research shows a lot of what motivates
people is inside them. While money, opportunities for growth and
good leadership all matter for employee motivation, a big pi ece of
motivation is based on a person's character or personality. For better
or for worse, we are who we are, and our person ality tends to be
stable over time and across situations. This consistency in people
creates an opportunity for organizations . By assessing personality
characteristics in job candidates, employers can predict their
motivation and make better informed hiring decisions.
Sounds good in theory, but does it really work? PreVisor's 2007
Business Outcomes Report indicates pre-employment personality
tests, when implemented and used effectively, predict key
performance outcomes and improve organiz ational effectiveness.
For example, when Starwood Hotels redesigned its hiring solution to
include personality testing for th e right attitude, it saw a two and a
half times increase in performance for one customer facing role. A
nationwide auto-parts distributor showed retention improved more
than 80 percent for high-scoring candidates. Among warehouse
associates taking a customized job-fit test, 43 percent of those who
scored high remained on the job after 90 days, whereas only 23
percent of th ose who scored low on the assessment were retained.
Higher retention leads to reduced costs, higher productivity and
better o rganizational performance.
What is Motivation, Anyway?
We hear about motivation all of the time - in school, at wor k, in
sports, in the context of motivational speaking. However, it is
curiously difficult to pin down exactly what motivation is and how it
works. While it has many definitions among scientists, motivation
boils down to wanting something to be differ ent.
Motivation is an energizing, mobilizing force related to striving
toward goals and satisfying needs - everything from food to sex to
self-esteem. From an employee perspective, this means work is the
environment where they strive toward an d achieve many of life's
goals. Motivation can lead people to work hard and manage their
interactions with others. On the oth er hand, a lack of motivation can
lead to carelessness and callousness at work. A recent CareerBuilder
survey found 32 percen t of workers called in sick with fake excuses
in the past 12 months, which is hardly a ringing endorsement of
strong work eth ic or job satisfaction.
From the employer's perspective, employee motivation impacts
performance. Scientists describe performance as a function of a
person's ability and motivation:
a) Ability or "can-do" is based largely on general cog nitive ability
or intelligence. Cognitive ability contributes to acquisition of
job skills and knowledge through experience. Tests of these
areas predict job performance.
b) b) Motivation or "will-do" is driven mainly by personality.
Personality describes a person's disposition, interests and
recurring behavior patterns.
Both ability and motivation are necessary for successful
performance. By testing for personality, we can measure an
important determinant of talent and success, one t hat is often
overlooked in hiring processes that emphasize only technical
skills, learning ability or past achievements.
The Maze of Employment Testing
Employment testing combines the power of science and
technology to help organizations make better informed hiring
decisions. Professionally developed tests are routinely used
during the hiring process to measure candidates' job skills, te
chnical knowledge, learning ability and motivation. The value
proposition underlying scientific hiring practices is: Individu al
performance drives organizational performance.
"It is important to remember that job success almost always
depends on several different kinds of performance," said Dr.
Charles Handler, founder and president of Rocket-Hire, a
consultancy spe cializing in online screening and assessments.
"For example, an employee who is very good at customer service
will be of litt le value if her or she frequently misses work. You can
measure these traits by combining assessment tools that predict
differ ent types of job performance. For instance, combining a
personality test with an ability test can increase the overall predic
tive ability of your selection system by a significant amount."
Personality Testing: Science or Alchemy?
Personalit y testing is a decades-old application of behavioral
science undergoing a renaissance among both employers and
researchers du e to improvements in technology and a deeper
understanding of its potential value. At its best, personality testing
reliably predicts on-the-job performance. At its worst, companies
may use poorly researched but well-marketed personality testing
tool s or use good tools (e.g., designed for team building) for the
wrong thing (e.g., hiring). Only by carefully aligning testing
programs with hiring needs will employers maximize prediction
andROI.
Scientists have known or suspected for some 30 years there are
just five major dimensions of personality, called the Big 5 factors
of personality.
a) Openness: Appr eciation for creativity, adventure, unusual
ideas and variety of experience.
b) Conscientiousness: A tendency to plan rather than be
spontaneous, to show self- discipline, caution and to seek
achievement.
c) Extraversion: The tendency t o seek stimulation and the
company of others, energy, positive emotions.
d) Agreeableness: A tendency to be pleasant a nd accommodating
in social situations.
e) Neuroticism: The ongoing tendency to experience negative
emotional states.
Within these broad factors, additional characteristics can be
tested, such as dependability, a part of conscientiousnes s, and
stress tolerance, a part of neuroticism.
The effective use of personality testing in the hiring process can
lea d to a workforce that is more motivated, more disciplined
and better with customers.

5 Managing of MANAGEMENT

5 Managing of Management …
Prof.Satya Sidhartha Panda.
www. sidharthmission.blogspot.com
v Managing Yourself.
v Managing Upwards.
v Managing Downwards.
v Managing Across the Organization.
v Managing Outwards.

As a Manager, you need to manage your relationship with your reporters, your peers, your customers and your bosses. The 5 M of management focuses on these relationships. Let me explain each of the management behaviors that shall contribute to your being a Successive manager.

1. Managing Yourself :
This is your foremost task you have to do .This would enable you to take stock of your personal contribution to the organization. To manage yourself well, you also need to manage your time well. Learn to manage your stress too .This is necessary to take you calm in the work environment and manage conflict and other challenging situation in your organization.
2. Managing Upwards:
This is also very important. It is important to understand what kinds of problems and challenges your manager faces. What deadlines he /she has to meet etc.If you understood your manger well, you can actually know what kind of reaction would come from your manger on the recommendation you have made, the kind of appreciation you will get on the behavior exhibited by you ,the kind of support you will get on the change you with to make.
3. Managing Downwards:
The people resources are the most powerful resources for any organization. To manage Downwards well you need to be aware of the aspirations of your staff, relate their personal Growth to the organizational growth, create an environment where they can participate in the decision making process and respect and recognize their unique potential.

4. Managing Across the Organizing:
A bigger goal can only be achieved if all the energies work towards it. Flatter the structure in an organization, less is the hierarchy, lesser would be bureaucracy and more would be trust and dependability, between the team members.Managing across the organization helps collaborate efforts from different people and ensure faster completion of tasks.
5. Managing Outwards:
Managing outwards may include managing customers, bankers, Solicitors, competitors etc.this is a network you have outside the organization. This tells you where to tap what kind of resources to achieve the organizational shalt and long terms goals.

VALUES EMPOWER OUR LIVES

VALUES EMPOWER OUR LIVES


Simplicity is the beauty of all Values.
Truth is the foundation of all Values.
Contentment is the embodiment of all Values.
Introvertness is the key of all values.
Humanity is the protector of all Values.
Sweetness is the flavor of all Values.
Purity is the mother of all Values.
Courage is the heart of all values.
Love is the queen of all Values.
Peace is the king of all values.
Honesty is the Guru of all Values.

Learning through Cases

Learning through Cases
Prof.Satya Sidhartha Panda.
Email Id: SatyaSidharth@yahoo.com
Website: www.sidharthmission.blogspot.com

Learning through cases involves case analysis, oral discussion, oral presentation and written presentation. Through all these aspects lead to the fulfillment of objectives of case method as a pedagogical tool, each of them has different contributions.
Case Analysis:
Prior to undergoing through other aspects of case method of learning, the case under discussion requires analysis. The case analysis leads to the development of analytical skills in the participants .Usually, case analysis involves a process which progress through the following steps.
1. Define the problem :
Each case has a problem or a number of problems. A problem may be defined as the gap between what is desired and what is being achieved. You may identify the problem in the case by reading it more than one .At the first reading, it is better to take note of the points which you consider important. Then you may try to determine what the major and minor problems are, jotting how you might analyze them. In fact reading, whole of the problems may not be identified. Therefore, read the case again, and find out through preliminary analysis whether the impression gathered by you in the first reading are correct. At this stage, you should define the objectives of the organization, nature of its environment, and its strengths and weakness. If possible, discuss the case problems with your friends, if instructor so provides. Often in actual practice, managers have a lot of discussion with others in making a decision.

2. Identify the Alternatives :
The problem around which the case is organized is amenable to a solution by several possible alternatives, some of which are obvious from date of case and definition of problem. The alternatives which are not so obvious are generated by the participants. At this stage, it is preferable to generate as many alternatives as possible without evaluating the worth of each. This will provide an opportunity to solve the problem at a much wider canvas.

3. Analyze the Alternatives :
An analysis of alternatives ,the most important step in the case analysis ,comprises the break-up of alternatives .This process should be taken very carefully because sometimes the crucial facts in a case are concealed in a seemingly unimportant remark or a minor statistical exhibit .You should also consider the consistency and reliability of the facts. Sometimes to fill the data gap, some assumptions are made on the basis of knowledge, experience,a judgment .The case analysis and discussion should not be abandoned on the plea that necessary data to solve the problem are not available. If you feel the inadequacy of data for arriving at a feasible solution , you must justify this position by pointing out the inadequacy of data and the way data can be collected. Analysis of alternatives should be taken in the light of the fact the problem can be solved by many alternatives and there is nothing like correct or incorrect answer of the problem.
4. Decisions:
You may not be in a position to arrive at some decisions through which a problem or problems, as identified in the case by you, may be solved. At may play important role in your decisions as these are associated very much with the choice process. Therefore, in making a decision to overcome a particular problem, it is batter to evaluate your decision in the context of totality of the situations and the impact of your decision on these situations; otherwise your decisions may generate more problems solving only one.
(i) Oral Discussion :
However, in a group discussion, there may not be any chairman. Group discussion step of learning through cases aims at developing interpersonal skills in participants.Therefore,you may contribute to the quality of group discussion in case methods by going through the following steps :


1. Prepare the case analysis full before you go for group discussion as outlined in the case analysis.
2. In group discussion, you have to challenge other`s stands and defend you own stands. This has to be done on the basis of facts, figures, reasonings and logics and not merely being aggressive.
3. In group discussion, listening is as important and contributory as speaking. It is better to respect other`s ideas even if these do not watch with yours. Other`s ideas may provide you the inputs to arrive at better decisions.
4.In appreciating other`s ideas ,it is better not to get away from your own ideas but evaluate these in the light of new ideas and modify them if need be .
5. A group discussion should not be treated merely an opportunity to show your dominance. You may contribute more to the group discussion by adhering to group discussion norms of group’s behavior and tolerance.
6. Too much emphasis should not be given on arriving at a final and only solution of the problem because a particular problem can be solved in many ways with almost equal consequences.

Oral Presentation:
Sometimes, participants may have to present the cases orally before a group. In a real business situation, any new idea either by a consultant or manager may be presented before a group of managers so that the latter may appraise this and, if required. May adopt in the organization. To make oral presentation effective, it is better to go through the following guidelines.
1. Prepare the case fully as pointed earlier
2. Oral presentation is not merely reading of written case analysis. While your written case analysis may be evaluated by a single individual, oral presentation is evaluated by a large number of individuals.Therefore; it has to be more convicing.
3. Oral presentation must be accompanied by pictorial presentation of major themes of the case in brief through charts, figures; etc .Pictorial presentation conveys ideas more quickly and convincingly as compared to words. However, avoid the overuse of pictorial communication.
4. At the end of your presentation, there may be queries from the audience. Do not be afraid of that as you have prepared much more on the case than your audience and you may hubly point out that .If there are suggestions for improving your presentation, both in terms of contents and manner, accept those happily.
Written presentation:
Written presentation is the final aspect of learning through cases. A written presentation of the case consists of those aspects which we have delineated for case analysis. Written presentation of case Analysis may be based on the following guidelines.
1. A written presentation may have simplicity but does not overlook the major issues involved in the case.
2. Written presentation should be in logical sequence starting with the brief presentation of the nature of problem and the reasons for the emergence of the problem, alternatives through which the problem may be solved, how each alternative affects the final outcomes for organization, and the additional actions that may be required to implement the decision.
3. If you have made any assumptions in arriving at your conclusions or decisions, present the basis for the assumptions.
4. If you are incorporating any additional material which may be relevant for the case analysis, quote its sources.

To wrap up the discussion…

Attacking the Case
- Problems with quantity of information first too much/later not enough Solution:
- seek additional information
- make assumptions
- Decide which questions to ask
- Instructor will be more interested in the analyses and process than in absolute correctness
Steps of Problem Analyses
- Read the case thoroughly
- Define the central issue
- Define the firms goals
- Identify the constraints to the problem
- Identify all the relevant alternatives
- Select the best alternative
- Develop an implementation plan
More on the Question of Focus
Ø Is there one issue or many issues?
§ The answer may not be simple or obvious
Ø Often it makes sense to organize the problem statement in a hierarchical way
§ A single over-riding issue
§ Additional issues, but usually subsidiary to the main issue
. Deal with most important areas first

EXERCISE-1
KCPL Case


Kritarth Carriage Company has a fleet of trucks to road transport its incoming materials
as well as outbound finished products from / to various parts of the country at regular
Intervals. The crew per truck comprises of one driver and one helper-cleaner who are hired by the contractor. The loading/unloading of materials from the truck is to be carried out in joint presence of the Dispatch / Receiving Section In-charges, Security representative and contractor’s representative in the appointed points with the help of overhead cranes, weighing machines and other gadgets. Since the contractor is interested in getting the materials quickly loaded/unloaded, he has to keep good relations with company staff. Things were going on well till last Monday, when the contractor complained to The Works Manager, Neman, at noon that the crane driver, Kanu threatened to drop the materials from a height during loading/unloading Operations damaging the truck unless he was given Rs.20/- per trip. He added that the Security Inspector KP was demanding Rs.10/- per trip to expedite clearance from the works gate. He further informed that earlier he was disbursing Rs.5/- each to the driver and the Inspector to avoid delay. He organized a trap, signed some currency notes and the Contractor was to pass them on demand. The loaded truck was escorted out of gate. While the named persons were about to leave they were stopped & searched at the gate and the signed notes were recovered from them.

How would handle this case?






EXERCISE-2

Human Relations in the office

In the personnel office of the Tripti Manufacturing company, two girls,priya and Mary ,disliked each other .This fact was known to the personal manager, who had observed that the girls quarreled upon occasion. Although this lack of harmony in the office disturbed the personnel manager, he did not consider the situation serious enough to warrant anything more than a word of caution to the girls now and then. However as time went on the situation became worse. Quarrels became more and more frequent each girl tried to hinder the other in her work. They openly refused to cooperate with each other and began to lose a great deal of time by going out of their way to interfere with each other`s work. One day, while the personnel manager was sitting quietly at work, priya rushed into his office, burst into tears and exclaimed that she could no longer continue to work unless Mary was transferred or discharged.
Questions:
If you were the personnel manager what would you do, and Why?
What do you think could have been done to prevent this situation from happening?


Note: Find the cases for your Self Practice.

Good Luck!!

Every IT Recruiter Must Know !!!

EVERY IT RECRUITER MUST KNOW

By
Prof. Satya Sidhartha Panda.

Sr.HR Consultants/Staffing Experts

(MBA, MJMC, Ph.D.)

www.sidharthmission.blogspot.com


Web Technologies – Java

Java, EJB, RMI, Swing, CORBA, Serve lets, JSP, JDBC, Core Java, Struts framework, Web sphere, Web logic, HTML, XML, Java script, J2EE, J2ME, DOT NET, framework, LDAP, Internet Security, JVM, Pjava, MIPS, Tibco, Board Design, Ematrix, XSL, XSLT

Web Technologies – Microsoft

VB.NET, ASP.NET, ADO.NET, VC++.NET, C#, COM, DCOM

Testing

Win runner, Load runner, Telecom Testing, White box testing, AIX testing ‘ Test cases, Test director, Test Suite, Silk Test, Mercury Testing, rational Robo,

Quality

Professionals with knowledge of ISO9000, SEICMM

Systems Software

C/C++ on Unix/Linux, DSP, Chip level designing, Unix kernel architecture, file system, memory management,RTOS,L2 support etc

Client Server

VB, VC++, COM, DCOM with RDBMS – Oracle, SQL, Sybase

Embedded Systems

RTOS, C on UNIX, Networking, Vx works, design and code reviews, QNX, Net kernel, Psos, IRMK, Firmware, BIOS, Assembly, MPEG DVD, MP3, JPEG, Set Top Box, DVB, Microprocessors, Microcontrollers, ADA, AVIONICS, D0178B, Industrial Automation,

Mainframes

IBM Mainframe, AS/400, 0s/390, z/OS, OS/400,VAX/VMS’Mainframe, COBOL, CICS, MVS, DB2, IDMSX, IMS, Tandem, Natural ADABAS, Xpeditor, RPG, JCL and VSAM

Networking

Networking S/W, UNIX System Admin., Windows NT Admin, TCP/IP, SPX, X25, Network Management – SNMP, CMIP, NMS, LAN/WAN, ATM, MPLS, FR, ISDN, Routing Protocols – BGP OSPF, RTP, RIP, IPV6, SONET, SDH

ERP / SAP

ERP and SAP Implementations of all modules, SAP-SD/MM/PP, FICO, ABAP4, Basis, People Soft-HRM, finance Module, BAN, Oracle Manufacturing, CRM-Siebel /Clarify

TELECOM

Switching, GSM, GPRS, UMTS, 3G, Layer-C, RLC, RRC, NodeB, DSP, TDMA, CDMA, WAP, SS7, ATM. FR, VOIP-SIGTRAN, MGCP, MEGACO, SIP, H.323, 245, TMN, Signalling, Bluetooth, GPS, Home Networking-JINI, HAVI.

C, UNIX

Device Drivers, X-Motif, Linux, Linux, /NT/VMS, Internalls, kernels, TCL/TK, Multithreading, Socket programming, Storage Device (Iscsi, SCSI, SAN, Veritas, Volume Manager, RAID, Fiber Channel, NAS)

VC++

DCOM, ATL, OOAD, XML, WDM, Vxd, WinSDK, WINCE, Palm OS, EPOC, WIN 32, API, Device Drivers, X-Windows, Direct X, Active X, NET, C#.

HARDWARE

ASIC, VLSI, FPGA, Verilog, VHDL, XiLINK, Physical Design, CMOS, Design, IC Design, Place & Route, Synthesis, EDA Tools, FPGA Design, Board Design, PCB Design, Circuit Design, Mixed Signal, Analog Design

APPLICATION

Oracle 8i, 11i, Oracle DBA, SQL-DBA, PB, Delphi, Data Modeling, Data warehousing – OLAP, ROLAP, Oracle DBA, VB, ASP, COM, DCOM, NET, C#, Oracle , PL/SQL, Pro*C, D2K

CAD/CAM

CAD, CAE, CAM, Catia V4,V5, Pro-E, Uni graphics, Hyper mesh, IDEAS, NASTRAN, ANSYS, Auto cad Tools

GENERAL

SQA, Quality, Testing / Implementation, Level 4 / Level 5 / ISO / Six Sigma / Technical writers, architects , Lotus Notes, System Administrator, System Administrator, UNIX / LINUX, SUN SOLARIS









Brief Information about Technologies and Abbreviations

Web Technologies

Java

An object-oriented programming language that is platform independent (the same Java program runs on all hardware platforms without modification). Developed by Sun, Java is widely used on the Web for both client and server processing. Modeled after C++, Java added programming enhancements such as "garbage collection," which automatically frees unused memory. It was also designed to run in small amounts of memory. The first Web browsers to run Java were Sun's HotJava and Netscape Navigator 2.0.

EJB

(Enterprise JavaBeans) A software component in Sun's J2EE platform, which provides a pure Java environment for developing and running distributed applications. EJBs are written as software modules that contain the business logic of the application. They reside in and are executed in a runtime engine called an "EJB Container," which provides a host of common interfaces and services to the EJB, including security and transaction support. At the wire level, EJBs look like CORBA components.

RMI

(Remote Method Invocation) A standard from Sun for distributed objects written in Java. RMI is a remote procedure call (RPC), which allows Java objects (software components) stored in the network to be run remotely. Unlike CORBA and DCOM objects, which can be developed in different languages, RMI is designed for objects written only in Java.

SWING

A Java toolkit for developing graphical user interfaces (GUIs). It includes elements such as menus, toolbars and dialog boxes. Swing is written in Java and is thus platform independent, unlike the Java Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT), which provides platform-specific code. Swing also has more sophisticated interface capabilities than AWT and offers such features as tabbed panes and the ability to change images on buttons. Swing is included in the Java Foundation Classes (JFC) which are provided in the Java Developers Toolkit (JDK).

COBRA

Common Object Request Broker Architecture) A software-based interface from the Object Management Group (OMG) that allows software modules (objects) to communicate with each other no matter where they are located on a private network or the global Internet. CORBA is a "distributed objects" system designed for multi-tier, client/server applications, where processing data in one computer requires additional processing by some other service in another computer in order to complete the transaction. CORBA is also described as an "object bus" or "software bus."

SERVELETS

A Java application that runs in a Web server or application server and provides server-side processing such as accessing a database and e-commerce transactions. Widely used for Web processing, servlets are designed to handle HTTP requests (get, post, etc.) and are the standard Java replacement for a variety of other methods, including CGI scripts, Active Server Pages (ASPs) and proprietary C/C++ plug-ins for specific Web servers (ISAPI, NSAPI).

JSP

(JavaServer Page) An extension to the Java servlet technology from Sun that allows HTML to be combined with Java on the same page. The Java provides the processing, and the HTML provides the page layout that will be rendered in the Web browser

JDBC

(Java DataBase Connectivity) A programming interface that lets Java applications access a database via the SQL language. Since Java interpreters (Java Virtual Machines) are available for all major client platforms, this allows a platform-independent database application to be written. In 1996, JDBC was the first extension to the Java platform.

STRUTS

A framework for writing Web-based applications in Java that supports the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture. Struts is deployed as JSP pages using special tags from the Struts tag library, which includes routines for building forms, HTML rendering, storing and retrieving data and business logic

WEB LOGIC

A software suite from BEA Systems, Inc., San Jose, CA (www.beasys.com) that is used to deploy Web and SOA applications. The core product is BEA WebLogic Server, a J2EE application server. BEA WebLogic Portal is an an enterprise portal that offers advanced searching, and BEA WebLogic Integration provides tools for transforming and routing data from multiple sources. BEA WebLogic Enterprise is the integrated development environment (IDE) for the WebLogic family

HTML

HyperText Markup Language) The document format used on the Web. Web pages are built with HTML tags (codes) embedded in the text. HTML defines the page layout, fonts and graphic elements as well as the hypertext links to other documents on the Web. Each link contains the URL, or address, of a Web page residing on the same server or any server worldwide, hence "World Wide" Web.

XML

(EXtensible Markup Language) An open standard for describing data from the W3C. It is used for defining data elements on a Web page and business-to-business documents. XML uses a similar tag structure as HTML; however, whereas HTML defines how elements are displayed, XML defines what those elements contain. While HTML uses predefined tags, XML allows tags to be defined by the developer of the page. Thus, virtually any data items, such as "product," "sales rep" and "amount due," can be identified, allowing Web pages to function like database records. By providing a common method for identifying data, XML supports business-to-business transactions and has become "the" format for electronic data interchange and Web services

J2EE

(Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition) A platform from Sun for building distributed enterprise applications. J2EE services are performed in the middle tier between the user's machine and the enterprise's databases and legacy information systems. J2EE comprises a specification, reference implementation and set of testing suites. Its core component is Enterprise JavaBeans (EJBs), followed by JavaServer Pages (JSPs) and Java servlets and a variety of interfaces for linking to the information resources in the enterprise.

J2ME

(Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition) A version of Java 2 for cellphones, PDAs and consumer appliances. J2ME uses the K Virtual Machine (KVM), a specialized Java interpreter for devices with limited memory. The Connected Limited Device Configuration (CLDC) provides the programming interface for wireless applications. The Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP) provides support for a graphical interface, networking and storage.

DOT NET

(.NET) A comprehensive software development platform from Microsoft that was introduced in 2000 as the company's next generation programming environment. Pronounced "dot-net," and widely known as the ".NET Framework," it was designed to compete with the Java J2EE platform

LDAP

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) A protocol used to access a directory listing. LDAP support is being implemented in Web browsers and e-mail programs, which can query an LDAP-compliant directory. It is expected that LDAP will provide a common method for searching e-mail addresses on the Internet, eventually leading to a global white pages. LDAP is a sibling protocol to HTTP and FTP and uses the ldap:// prefix in its URL.

JVM

A Java interpreter. The Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is software that converts the Java intermediate language (bytecode) into machine language and executes it. The original JVM came from the JavaSoft division of Sun. Subsequently, other vendors developed their own; for example, the Microsoft Virtual Machine is Microsoft's Java interpreter. A JVM is incorporated into a Web browser in order to execute Java applets. A JVM is also installed in a Web server to execute server-side Java programs. A JVM can also be installed in a client machine to run stand-alone Java applications

PJAVA

A version of Java from Sun intended for PDAs and other handheld devices. EmbeddedJava (EJava) is a counterpart set of technologies that provide support for character-based displays or devices without displays rather than graphical interfaces. PersonalJava (PJava) is intended for open systems that require Web browsing, and PJava includes applet support. EJava is intended for closed systems that have severe restrictions on memory.

MIPS

(Million Instructions Per Second) The execution speed of a computer. For example, .5 MIPS is 500,000 instructions per second; 100 MIPS is a hundred million instructions per second. MIPS was a popular rating before computers reached gigahertz speeds, but MIPS rates were never uniform. Some were best-case mixes while others were averages. In addition, it takes more instructions in one machine to do the same thing as another (RISC vs. CISC, mainframe vs. PC). As a result, MIPS has been called "MisInformation to Promote Sales" as well as "Meaningless Interpretation of Processor Speed."

XSL

(eXtensible Stylesheet Language) A standard from the W3C for describing a style sheet for XML documents. It is the XML counterpart to the Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) in HTML and is compatible with CSS2. XSL is made up of three components: (1) XSL Transformations (XSLT) is the processing language for XSL. It is used to convert XML documents into HTML or other document types and may be used independently of XSL. (2) XML Path Language (Xpath) is used to identify and select tagged elements within an XML document, and (3) XSL Formatting Objects (XSL FO) provides the format vocabulary

XSLT

(eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation) Software that converts an XML document into another format such as HTML, PDF or text. It may also be used to convert one XML document to another XML document with a different set of XML tags (different schema).

VB.NET

(Visual Basic .NET) An object-oriented programming language from Microsoft. It is the .NET version of the Visual Basic (VB) programming language. Like all .NET languages, VB.NET uses the Common Language Runtime (CLR) for program execution. VB.NET is substantially different from traditional Visual Basic, which has been the most popular language for developing Windows applications

ASP

Application Service Provider) An organization that hosts software applications on its own servers within its own facilities. Customers rent the use of the application and access it over the Internet or via a private line connection. Also called a "commercial service provider." The Web browser, acting as a universal client interface, has fueled this "on-demand software" market.

ASP.NET

ASP.NET, also known as ASP+, is an enhanced version of ASP for the .NET platform. It supports executable programs compiled from C#, C++ and other languages and is not backward compatible with regular ASP code. ASP.NET pages are always compiled rather than interpreted as are ASP pages

ADO

(ActiveX Data Objects) A programming interface from Microsoft that is designed as "the" Microsoft standard for data access. First used with Internet Information Server, ADO is a set of COM objects that provides an interface to OLE DB. The three primary objects are Connection, Command and Recordset. The Connection object establishes a connection with a particular database management system (DBMS) or other data source. It can also send a query to the database. The Command object is an alternate way of sending a query to the database, and the Recordset object contains the resulting answer, which is a group of records

ADO.NET

ADO.NET is the .NET version of ADO, which is substantially different from ADO. It supports XML documents and relies on .NET Data Providers as an interface layer between the application and the databases.


TESTING

WINRUNNER

Comprehensive automated application testing software for Windows from Mercury Interactive Corporation, Mountain View, CA (www.mercury.com/us). It lets users compare expected and actual outcomes and provides wizards for automatically setting up tests. WinRunner also records user interactions and turns them into a script.


LOADRUNNER

A load testing tool from Mercury Interactive Corporation, Mountain View, CA (www.merc-int.com). It simulates thousands of users interacting online in order to test how well a system stands up under a heavy load.

C#

(C Sharp) An object-oriented programming language from Microsoft and ECMA that is based on C++ with elements from Visual Basic and Java. Like Java, C# provides automatic garbage collection, whereas traditional C and C++ do not. C# was created by Microsoft and also standardized by the European Computer Manufacturers Association (ECMA). Microsoft designed C# as its flagship programming language for the .NET environment.

SYSTEMS SOFTWARE

C++

An object-oriented version of C that has been widely used to develop enterprise and commercial applications. Created by Bjarne Stroustrup, C++ became popular because it combined traditional C programming with object-oriented programming (OOP) features. Smalltalk and other OOP languages did not provide the familiar structures of conventional languages such as C and Pascal. Microsoft's Visual C++ is the most widely used C++ language

UNIX

A multiuser, multitasking operating system that is widely used as the master control program in workstations and servers. The Open Group holds the trademark for the UNIX name (spelled in upper case) on behalf of the industry and provides compliance certification to the UNIX standard

LINUX

Linux is the most popular open source operating system. Its source code is available free of charge; however, for a fee, Linux is distributed with technical support and training from commercial vendors such as Red Hat Software (www.redhat.com) and Novell (www.novell.com). A Linux "distribution" is available as a download or on CD or DVD media, which may comprise from a handful to several hundred applications, tools and utilities. Source code for the Linux kernel as well as the auxiliary programs may also be included

DSP

Digital Signal Processing) A category of techniques that analyze signals from sources such as sound, weather satellites and earthquake monitors. Signals are converted into digital data and analyzed using various algorithms such as Fast Fourier Transform.

(Digital Signal Processor) A special-purpose CPU used for digital signal processing applications (see definition #2 below). It provides ultra-fast instruction sequences, such as shift and add, and multiply and add, which are commonly used in math-intensive signal processing. DSP chips are widely used in a myriad of devices, including cellphones, sound cards, fax machines, modems, hard disks and digital TVs. The first DSP chip used in a commercial product was believed to be in the very popular Speak & Spell game, introduced by TI in the late 1970s

CLIIENT SERVER

COM

Computer Output Microfilm) Creating microfilm or microfiche from the computer. A COM machine receives print-image output from the computer either online or via tape or disk and creates a film image of each page. The leading vendor of COM machines is Anacomp, Inc., San Diego, CA (www.anacomp.com).
Computer Output Microfilm) Creating microfilm or microfiche from the computer. A COM machine receives print-image output from the computer either online or via tape or disk and creates a film image of each page. The leading vendor of COM machines is Anacomp, Inc., San Diego, CA (www.anacomp.com).

DCOM

Distributed Component Object Model) Formerly Network OLE, it is Microsoft's technology for distributed objects. DCOM is based on COM, Microsoft's component software architecture, which defines the object interfaces. DCOM defines the remote procedure call that allows those objects to be run remotely over the network. DCOM began shipping with Windows NT 4.0 and is Microsoft's counterpart to CORBA.

DBMS

(DataBase Management System) Software that controls the organization, storage, retrieval, security and integrity of data in a database. It accepts requests from the application and instructs the operating system to transfer the appropriate data. The major DBMS vendors are Oracle, IBM, Microsoft and Sybase. MySQL is a very popular open source product

ORACLE

(Oracle Corporation, Redwood Shores, CA, www.oracle.com) The world's largest database and application software vendor founded in 1977 by Larry Ellison. The Oracle database was the first DBMS to incorporate the SQL language and to be ported to a wide variety of platforms. Oracle also offers a variety of development tools.In the mid-1990s, Oracle was a major promoter of the network computer, forming subsidiary Network Computer, Inc. to define the specifications for the platform. After the turn of the century, the company greatly enhanced its application offerings by acquiring PeopleSoft in 2004 and Siebel Systems in 2005

SQL

Structured Query Language) Pronounced "S-Q-L" or "see-quill," a language used to interrogate and process data in a relational database. Originally developed by IBM for its mainframes, all database systems designed for client/server environments support SQL. SQL commands can be used to interactively work with a database or can be embedded within a programming language to interface to a database. Programming extensions to SQL have turned it into a full-blown database programming language, and all major database management systems (DBMSs) support the language.

SYBASE

Sybase Inc., Dublin, CA, www.sybase.com) A software company founded in 1984 that specializes in enterprise infrastructure and integration of platforms, databases and applications. It was originally known for its SQL Server relational DBMS, but expanded its line in 1995 when it acquired Powersoft, makers of the PowerBuilder application development software. Sybase product families include databases, development tools, integration middleware, enterprise portals and mobile and wireless servers.

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

RTOS

(RealTime Operating System) An operating system designed for use in a realtime computer system

(RTOs) (RealTime Operations) Procedures within an organization that enable information to be distributed to all parties in realtime. It implies that day-to-day activities are integrated with existing information systems so that vital up-to-date information is always available to management, employees and the public as required.

Vx WORKS

A popular realtime operating system for embedded systems from Wind River, Alameda, CA (www.windriver.com). It is used to control a wide variety of products, including network and telecom devices, test and measurement equipment, computer peripherals and consumer products. It is also used in the automotive and aerospace industries for engine control and avionics. Available for a large number of CPU types, applications are created in Wind River's Tornado development environment.




FIRMWARE

A category of memory chips that hold their content without electrical power. Firmware includes flash, ROM, PROM, EPROM and EEPROM technologies. When holding program instructions, firmware can be thought of as "hard software."

BIOS

Basic Input Output System) An essential set of routines stored in a chip that provides an interface between the operating system and the hardware in a PC. The BIOS supports all peripheral technologies including drives as well as internal services such as the realtime clock (time and date). BIOS settings are maintained in a tiny battery-backed memory

QNX

A multiuser, multitasking, realtime operating system for PCs from QNX Software Systems, Ltd., Ottawa, Ontario (www.qnx.com), that is noted for its low-memory requirement and rapid response. Similar to Unix, it has been in use since the early 1980s


MPEG

Moving Pictures Experts Group) An ISO/ITU standard for compressing digital video. Pronounced "em-peg," it is the universal standard for digital terrestrial, cable and satellite TV, DVDs and digital video recorders (DVRs).MPEG uses lossy compression within each frame similar to JPEG, which means pixels from the original images are permanently discarded. It also uses interframe coding, which further compresses the data by encoding only the differences between periodic frames. MPEG performs the actual compression using the discrete cosine transform (DCT) method.MPEG is an asymmetrical system. It takes longer to compress the video than it does to decompress it in the DVD player, PC, set-top box or digital TV set. As a result, in the early days, compression was perfomed only in the studio. As chips advanced and became less costly, they enabled digital video recorders, such as Tivos, to convert analog TV to MPEG and record it on disk in realtime.

JPEG

(Joint Photographic Experts Group) An ISO/ITU standard for compressing still images. Pronounced "jay-peg," the JPEG format is very popular due to its variable compression range. JPEGs are saved on a sliding resolution scale based on the quality desired. For example, an image can be saved in high quality for photo printing, in medium quality for the Web and in low quality for attaching to e-mails, the latter providing the smallest file size for fastest transmission over dial-up connections.

SET TOP BOX

The cable TV box that "sits on top" of the TV set. It descrambles the premium channels and provides a tuner for the higher cable numbers that very old TVs did not support. Originally only analog, digital set-top boxes have become widely used for digital services that offer an on-screen program guide. Digital set-top boxes that provide high-definition TV (HDTV) are the latest version.With satellite TV, a device similar to the set-top box decodes signals for viewing. However, although some call it a "satellite set-top box," it is officially known as a "satellite TV receiver."

DVB

(Digital Video Broadcasting) An international digital television (DTV) standard that is the European and Far Eastern counterpart of the North American ATSC standard. Administered by the DVB Project within the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), DVB uses MPEG-2 for video compression and MPEG-2 and Dolby Digital for audio.

MICROPROCESSORS

A central processing unit (CPU) contained within a single chip. Today, all computer CPUs are microprocessors. The term originated in the 1970s when CPUs up until that time were all comprised of several chips. Thus, when the entire CPU (processor) was miniaturized onto a single chip, the term "micro" processor was coined. Since the turn of the century, the semiconductor manufacturing process has become so sophisticated that not only one, but two or more CPUs, are built on a single chip

MICROCONTROLLER

A single chip that contains the processor (the CPU), non-volatile memory for the program (ROM or flash), volatile memory for input and output (RAM), a clock and an I/O control unit. Also called a "computer on a chip," billions of microcontroller units (MCUs) are embedded each year in a myriad of products from toys to appliances to automobiles. For example, a single vehicle can use 70 or more microcontrollers.Microcontrollers come in all sizes and architectures, with the smaller, commodity chips costing as little as 50 cents in quantities of 10,000.

ADA

A high-level programming language developed by the U.S. Department of Defense along with the European Economic Community and many other organizations. It was designed for embedded applications and process control but is also used for logistics applications. Ada is a Pascal-based language that is very comprehensive.Ada was named after Augusta Ada Byron (1815-1852), Countess of Lovelace and daughter of the poet Lord Byron and mathematician Annabella Milbanke Byron. Ada also became a mathematician and was the colleague of Charles Babbage, who was developing his Analytical Engine. Some of her programming notes for the machine have survived, giving her the distinction of being the first documented programmer in the world

MAINFRAMES

AS/400

(Application System/400) The earlier generation and original name of IBM's iSeries and i5 families of midrange business computers. Introduced in 1988, the AS/400 evolved into the iSeries in 2000 and the i5 in 2004. When first introduced, the AS/400 was considered a "minicomputer."

OS/390

The primary operating system used in IBM mainframes. OS/390 was originally the MVS/ESA operating system renamed and repackaged in 1996 with an extensive set of utilities. Although the name MVS is still used to refer to the base control program of OS/390, enhancements in usability and workload balancing have made OS/390 stand apart from its MVS heritage. OS/390 is upward compatible from MVS/ESA 5.2.2, but downward compatibility is not ensured.

z/OS

A mission critical mainframe operating system that extends OS/390 to IBM's zSeries eServers. Although in its first release there are few functional enhancements compared to OS/390 Version 2 Release 10, many more are expected. z/OS, Version 1 Release 1 runs on G5 and G6 Parallel Enterprise Servers, Multiprise 3000 Servers and supports 64-bit real memory addressing on the z900 (64-bit virtual storage is expected). On the G5 and G6, z/OS uses 31-bit addressing and is somewhat restricted. When IBM introduced its zSeries 800 in 2002 for the mid-size market, it introduced a lower-priced version of z/OS known as "z/OS.e."

OS/400

The operating system for the iSeries family of midrange computers from IBM. Introduced in 1988 for the AS/400 (renamed iSeries in 2000), the OS/400 communicates with the hardware through the Licensed Internal Code (LIC) layer, which includes the device drivers. In 2004, OS/400 was renamed i5/OS to coincide with the eServer i5 models introduced in that same year

VAX

(Virtual Address eXtension) A venerable family of 32-bit computers from HP (via Digital and Compaq) introduced in 1977 with the VAX-11/780. VAX models ranged from desktop units to mainframes all running the same VMS operating system, and VAXes could emulate PDP models (Digital's first computers). Large VAX multiprocessing clusters served thousands of users.

COBOL

(COmmon Business Oriented Language) A high-level programming language that has been the primary business application language on mainframes and minis. It is a compiled language and was one of the first high-level languages developed. Officially adopted in 1960, COBOL stemmed from FLOWMATIC, a language developed in the mid-1950s by Grace Murray Hopper (later Rear Admiral Hopper) for the UNIVAC I.COBOL is a very wordy language. Although mathematical expressions can also be written like other programming languages (see example below), its verbose mode is very readable for a novice. For example, multiply hourly-rate by hours-worked giving gross-pay is self-explanatory

CICS

(Customer Information Control System) A TP monitor from IBM that was originally developed to provide transaction processing for IBM mainframes. It controls the interaction between applications and users and lets programmers develop screen displays without detailed knowledge of the terminals used. It provides terminal routing, password security, transaction logging for error recovery and activity journals for performance analysis.CICS has also been made available on non-mainframe platforms including the RS/6000, AS/400 and OS/2-based PCs.CICS commands are written along with and into the source code of the applications, typically COBOL, although assembly language, PL/I and RPG are also used. CICS implements SNA layers 4, 5 and 6.

MVS

(Multiple Virtual Storage) Introduced in 1974, the primary operating system used with IBM mainframes (the others are VM and DOS/VSE). MVS is a batch processing-oriented operating system that manages large amounts of memory and disk space. Online operations are provided with CICS, TSO and other system software.

DB2

(DATABASE 2) A relational DBMS from IBM that was originally developed for its mainframes. It is a full-featured SQL language DBMS that has become IBM's major database product. Known for its industrial strength reliability, IBM has made DB/2 available for all of its own platforms, including OS/2, OS/400, AIX (RS/6000) and OS/390, as well as for Solaris on Sun systems and HP-UX on HP 9000 workstations and servers



IDMSX

(Integrated Data Management System EXtended) A database management system (DBMS) from Fujitsu Services, formerly ICL, that is widely used on its VME mainframes. It supports journaling, recovery and locking options. A single IDMSX database can contain up to a terabyte of data

IMS

Information Management System) An early IBM hierarchical DBMS for IBM mainframes. IMS was widely implemented throughout the 1970s under MVS and continues to be used under z/OS. IMS/DB (IMS/DataBase) is the back end database part, and either IMS/TM (IMS/Transaction Manager) or CICS provides the front end online interaction.IMS/TM, formerly IMS/DC (IMS/Data Communications), runs each transaction in its own address space and allows for more precise tuning than CICS, which runs all transactions in a region. IMS/TM is also used to access DB2 databases, and Java applications can access IMS databases

TANDEM

(Tandem Computers Inc., Cupertino, CA) A former major manufacturer of fault-tolerant computers founded in 1974 by James Treybig and provider of the early 21st century technology for HP's enterprise computing strategy. Tandem was the first company to address the transaction processing (OLTP) market for online reservations and financial transfers by providing computers designed from the ground up for fault-tolerant operation. These computers are used in all the major banks, stock exchanges, credit card companies and ATM machines in the world.Tandem's most significant product was its MIPS-based Himalaya series which ran the NonStop Kernel operating system, compatible with Tandem's Guardian OS. This platform lives on in the NonStop S-series servers from HP, which acquired Tandem's technology via Compaq in 2002. Compaq had purchased Tandem in 1997

Xpeditor

A family of mainframe testing programs from Compuware. It provides the programmer with an assortment of debugging tools for TSO, IMS and other mainframe applications

RPG

Report Program Generator) One of the first program generators designed for business reports, introduced in 1964 by IBM. In 1970, RPG II added enhancements that made it a mainstay programming language for business applications on IBM's System/3x midrange computers. RPG III and RPG IV added more enhancements and have been widely used on the AS/400. RPGLE added the "Integrated Language Environment (ILE)," which enables C, Java and other modules to be integrated into the program.Until RPGLE, all processing statements were written in strict columnar format. The following RPGLE example changes Fahrenheit to Celsius. The A lines are Data Description Specs (DDS) code. They define a display file and are compiled separately

NETWORKING
WINDOWS NT

(Windows New Technology) A 32-bit operating system from Microsoft for Intel x86 CPUs. NT is the core technology in Windows 2000 and Windows XP (see Windows). Available in separate client and server versions, it includes built-in networking and preemptive multitasking. Windows NT was introduced in 1993 as Version 3.1 with the same user interface as Windows 3.1. In 1996, Version 4.0 switched to the Windows 95 desktop and changed some of the dialogs

TCP/IP

(Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) A communications protocol developed under contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to internetwork dissimilar systems. Invented by Vinton Cerf and Bob Kahn, this de facto Unix standard is the protocol of the Internet and the global standard for communications.

SPX

(Sequenced Packet EXchange) The transport layer protocol in the NetWare operating system. Similar to the TCP layer in TCP/IP, it ensures that the entire message arrives intact. SPX uses NetWare's IPX as its delivery mechanism. Application programs use SPX to provide client/server and peer-to-peer interaction between network nodes

SNMP

(Simple Network Management Protocol) A widely used network monitoring and control protocol. Data are passed from SNMP agents, which are hardware and/or software processes reporting activity in each network device (hub, router, bridge, etc.) to the workstation console used to oversee the network. The agents return information contained in a MIB (Management Information Base), which is a data structure that defines what is obtainable from the device and what can be controlled (turned off, on, etc.). Originating in the Unix community, SNMP has become widely used on all major platforms.

CMIP

(Common Management Information Protocol) Pronounced "c-mip." A network monitoring and control standard from ISO. CMOT (CMIP over TCP) is a version that runs on TCP/IP networks, and CMOL (CMIP over LLC) runs on IEEE 802 LANs (Ethernet, Token Ring, etc.).

NMS

Also known as NMS, it is an SNMP-based network management software from Novell for monitoring and controlling NetWare networks. NMS was superseded by ManageWise.

LAN

(Local Area Network) A communications network that serves users within a confined geographical area. The "clients" are the user's workstations typically running Windows, although Mac and Linux clients are also used. The "servers" hold programs and data that are shared by the clients. Servers come in a wide range of sizes from Intel-based servers to mainframes. Printers can also be connected to the network and shared

WAN

(Wide Area Network) A long-distance communications network that covers a wide geographic area, such as a state or country. The telephone companies deploy WANs to service large regional areas or the entire nation. Large enterprises have their own private WANs to link remote offices, or they use the Internet for connectivity. The Internet, of course, is the world's largest WAN.

ATM

Asynchronous Transfer Mode) A network technology for both local and wide area networks (LANs and WANs) that supports realtime voice and video as well as data. The topology uses switches that establish a logical circuit from end to end, which guarantees quality of service (QoS). However, unlike telephone switches that dedicate circuits end to end, unused bandwidth in ATM's logical circuits can be appropriated when needed. For example, idle bandwidth in a videoconference circuit can be used to transfer data.ATM is widely used as a backbone technology in carrier networks and large enterprises, but never became popular as a local network (LAN) topology (see below). ATM is highly scalable and supports transmission speeds of 1.5, 25, 100, 155, 622, 2488 and 9953 Mbps. ATM is also running as slow as 9.6 Kbps between ships at sea. An ATM switch can be added into the middle of a switch fabric to enhance total capacity, and the new switch is automatically updated using ATM's PNNI routing protocol.

MPLS

(MultiProtocol Label Switching) A standard from the IETF for including routing information in the packets of an IP network. MPLS is used to ensure that all packets in a particular flow take the same route over a backbone. Deployed by many telcos and service providers, MPLS can deliver the quality of service (QoS) required to support realtime voice and video as well as service level agreements (SLAs) that guarantee bandwidth. Large enterprises may also use MPLS in their national networks.Similar to Cisco's tag switching, an MPLS router attaches labels (tags) containing forwarding information to outgoing IP packets. These "label edge routers" (LERs) sit at the edge of the network and perform the complex packet analysis and classification before the packet enters the core of the network. The routers within the core, known as "label switch routers" (LSRs), quickly examine the label and forward the packet per its directions without having to look up data in tables and compute the forwarding path each time. The edge routers at the receiving end remove the labels.

ISDN

(Integrated Services Digital Network) An international standard for switched, digital dial-up telephone service for voice and data. Analog telephones and fax machines are used over ISDN lines, but their signals are converted into digital by the ISDN terminal adapter (see below).Although announced in the early 1980s, it took more than a decade before ISDN became widely available. It enjoyed a surge of growth in the early days of the Internet, because it provided the only higher-speed alternative to analog modems in many areas. Still working in many behind-the-scenes applications, ISDN is rarely used for Internet access.

BGP

Border Gateway Protocol) A routing protocol that is used to span autonomous systems on the Internet. It is a robust, sophisticated and scalable protocol that was developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). BGP4 supports the CIDR addressing scheme, which has increased the number of available IP addresses on the Internet. BGP was designed to supersede EGP, the original exterior gateway protocol. It is also known as a path vector protocol

RTP

(Rapid Transport Protocol) The protocol used in IBM's High Performance Routing (HPR) system. (Realtime Transport Protocol) An IP protocol that supports realtime transmission of voice and video. It is widely used for IP telephony and audio and video streaming. An RTP packet rides on top of UDP, the non-reliable counterpart of TCP, and includes timestamping and synchronization information in its header for proper reassembly at the receiving end. Secure RTP (SRTP) is a version of RTP that provides confidentiality and message authentication.

RTCP

(Realtime Control Protocol)RTCP is a companion protocol to RTP that is used to maintain QoS. RTP nodes analyze network conditions and periodically send each other RTCP packets that report on network congestion.

RTSP

Realtime Streaming Protocol)RTSP is used to control an RTP session at the application layer. It enables functions such as pause, rewind and fast forward to be provided in the user's client software.

RIP

(Raster Image Processor) The hardware and/or software that rasterizes an image for display or printing. RIPs are designed to rasterize a specific type of data, such as PostScript. As desktop computers became more powerful, software RIPs became more appealing than specialized hardware RIPs. Software can be upgraded more easily, and the operation is always speeded up by installing a faster CPU. (Routing Information Protocol) A simple routing protocol that is part of the TCP/IP protocol suite. It determines a route based on the smallest hop count between source and destination. RIP is a distance vector protocol that routinely broadcasts routing information to its neighboring routers and is known to waste bandwidth. It also has a limit of 15 hops. If a route is advertised as having 16 hops, it is flagged as unreachable. AppleTalk, DECnet, TCP/IP, NetWare and VINES all use incompatible versions of RIP.

(Remote Imaging Protocol) An earlier graphics format from TeleGrafix Communications, designed for transmitting graphics over low-speed lines. Using a communications program that supported RIP enabled graphical interfaces to be used on a BBS with respectable performance via modem.

IPv6

(Internet Protocol Version 6) The next generation IP protocol. Started in 1991, the specification was completed in 1997 by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). IPv6 is backward compatible with and is designed to fix the shortcomings of IPv4, such as data security and maximum number of user addresses.IPv6 increases the address space from 32 to 128 bits, providing for an unlimited (for all intents and purposes) number of networks and systems. It also supports quality of service (QoS) parameters for realtime audio and video. Originally called "IP Next Generation" (IPng), IPv6 is expected to slowly replace IPv4, with the two existing side by side for many years.IPv6 was officially deployed in July 2004 when ICANN added IPv6 records to its DNS root server for the .jp (Japan) and .kr (Korea) country codes.

SONET

(Synchronous Optical NETwork) A fiber-optic transmission system for high-speed digital traffic. Employed by telephone companies and common carriers, speeds range from 51 Mbps to 40 Gbps.SONET is an intelligent system that provides advanced network management and a standard optical interface. Specified in the Broadband ISDN (B-ISDN) standard, SONET backbones are widely used to aggregate T1 and T3 lines. The European counterpart to SONET is the Synchronous Digital Hierarchy, and the term "SONET/SDH" is widely used when referring to SONE


ERP / SAP


Enterprise Resource Planning) An integrated information system that serves all departments within an enterprise. Evolving out of the manufacturing industry, ERP implies the use of packaged software rather than proprietary software written by or for one customer. ERP modules may be able to interface with an organization's own software with varying degrees of effort, and, depending on the software, ERP modules may be alterable via the vendor's proprietary tools as well as proprietary or standard programming languages.

PeopleSoft HRMS

(PeopleSoft, Inc., Pleasanton, CA, www.peoplesoft.com) A software company that specializes in enterprise-wide applications for client/server environments. Initially specializing in human resources, its package offerings today cover the gamut including financial, distribution, manufacturing and supply chain, plus numerous vertical markets. All major databases are supported. Its products are known for their modularity as well as their ease of modification and customization using the PeopleTools development system.

TELECOM

GSM
(Global System for Mobile Communications) A digital cellular phone technology based on TDMA that is the predominant system in Europe, but also used worldwide. Developed in the 1980s, GSM was first deployed in seven European countries in 1992. It operates in the 900MHz and 1.8GHz bands in Europe and the 1.9GHz PCS band in the U.S. Based on a circuit-switched system that divides each 200 kHz channel into eight 25 kHz time slots, GSM defines the entire cellular system, not just the TDMA air interface.

GPRS
General Packet Radio Service) An enhancement to the GSM mobile communications system that supports data packets. GPRS enables continuous flows of IP data packets over the system for such applications as Web browsing and file transfer. GPRS differs from GSM's short messaging service (GSM-SMS) which is limited to messages of 160 bytes in length. See GSM.

3G
(3rd Generation) The current generation of data transmission over a cellular network. In CDMA networks such as Verizon Wireless and Sprint, EV-DO is the 3G service. Cingular and other TDMA-based networks support the UMTS technology for 3G, and GPRS is the 3G data service for Vodaphone and other GSM carriers.

UMTS

(Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) The European implementation of the 3G wireless phone system. UMTS, which is part of IMT-2000, provides service in the 2GHz band and offers global roaming and personalized features. Designed as an evolutionary system for GSM network operators, multimedia data rates up to 2 Mbps are expected using WCDMA. In the interim, GPRS and EDGE are 2.5G technologies that speed up wireless data for GSM users.

DSP

(Digital Signal Processor) A special-purpose CPU used for digital signal processing applications (see definition #2 below). It provides ultra-fast instruction sequences, such as shift and add, and multiply and add, which are commonly used in math-intensive signal processing. DSP chips are widely used in a myriad of devices, including cellphones, sound cards, fax machines, modems, hard disks and digital TVs. The first DSP chip used in a commercial product was believed to be in the very popular Speak & Spell game

TDMA

(Time Division Multiple Access) A satellite and cellular phone technology that interleaves multiple digital signals onto a single high-speed channel. For cellular, TDMA triples the capacity of the original analog method (FDMA). It divides each channel into three subchannels providing service to three users instead of one. The GSM cellular system is also based on TDMA, but GSM defines the entire network, not just the air interface.

CDMA

(Code Division Multiple Access) A method for transmitting simultaneous signals over a shared portion of the spectrum. The foremost application of CDMA is the digital cellular phone technology from QUALCOMM that operates in the 800MHz band and 1.9GHz PCS band. CDMA phones are noted for their call quality.

WAP

Wireless Application Protocol) A standard for providing cellular phones, pagers and other handheld devices with secure access to e-mail and text-based Web pages. Introduced in 1997 by Phone.com (later Openwave Systems), Ericsson, Motorola and Nokia, WAP provides a complete environment for wireless applications that includes a wireless counterpart of TCP/IP and a framework for telephony integration such as call control and phone book access.

SS7

(Signaling System 7) The protocol used in the public switched telephone system (the "intelligent network" or "advanced intelligent network") for setting up calls and providing services. SS7 is a separate signaling network that is used in Class 4 and Class 5 voice switches.

VoIP (Voice Over IP) A telephone service that uses the Internet as a global telephone network. Many companies, including Vonage, 8x8 and AT&T (CallVantage), typically offer calling within the country for a fixed fee and a low per-minute charge for international. Broadband Internet access (cable or DSL) is required, and regular house phones plug into an analog telephone adapter (ATA) provided by the company or purchased from a third party.

SIGTRAN (SIGnaling TRANsport) An IP telephony protocol from the IETF that is used to transfer SS7 signals over IP networks. The telco switch sends SS7 signals to a signaling gateway (SG) that converts them into SIGTRAN packets, which travel over IP to the next signaling gateway or to a softswitch if the destination is not another PSTN. SIGTRAN uses the Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) for reliable transport. See IP telephony and SCTP.
MGCP/MEGACO (Media Gateway Control Protocol/MEdia GAteway COntroller) An IP telephony signaling protocol from the IETF. MGCP was the original protocol, which evolved into MEGACO. Both protocols are designed for implementation in IP phones that are lower cost than SIP or H.323 phones. MGCP/MEGACO requires the use of softswitches for call control and more resembles the telephony model of the circuit-switched PSTN than do SIP and H.323. The softswitch is aware of the entire call throughout its duration (it manages state) and enables operator intervention like the PSTN. MCGP/MEGACO is a combination of the SGCP and IPCD protocols, and many devices that implement MGCP/MEGACO also support SIP and/or H.323.
SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) An IP telephony signaling protocol developed by the IETF. Primarily used for voice over IP (VoIP) calls, SIP can also be used for video or any media type; for example, SIP has been used to set up multi-player Quake games. With SIMPLE extensions for IM and presence, SIP is also used for instant messaging

H.323 An ITU standard for realtime voice and videoconferencing over packet networks, including LANs, WANs and the Internet. Although H.323 is a very comprehensive standard that supports voice, video, data, application sharing and whiteboarding, the parts relating to audio protocols have been widely used for IP telephony applications.

TMN (Telecommunications Management Network) A set of international standards for network management from the ITU. It is used by large carriers such as Sprint, MCI WorldCom and AT&T.

Bluetooth A wireless personal area network (WPAN) technology from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (www.bluetooth.com) founded in 1998 by Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Nokia and Toshiba. Bluetooth is an open standard for short-range transmission of digital voice and data that supports point-to-point and multipoint applications. Some of the first Bluetooth applications have been for cellphones, providing a wireless connection to a headset and to an automobile's audio system for hands-free operation

Jini Pronounced "gee-nee." A Java-based distributed computing environment from Sun in which devices can be plugged into the network and automatically offer their services and make use of other services on the network. Jini creates a "network dialtone" allowing, for example, any PDA or laptop to be plugged in and immediately be able to use printers and other resources. It turns "peripherals into services," so that when a disk drive is plugged in, it becomes a storage service rather than just another disk drive


C, UNIX
Linux A very popular version of the Unix operating system that runs on a variety of hardware platforms including x86, Itanium, PowerPC and IBM's entire product line. Linux is widely used as a server OS and is gaining ground in the desktop market.

Windows NT (Windows New Technology) A 32-bit operating system from Microsoft for Intel x86 CPUs. NT is the core technology in Windows 2000 and Windows XP (see Windows). Available in separate client and server versions, it includes built-in networking and preemptive multitasking. Windows NT was introduced in 1993 as Version 3.1 with the same user interface as Windows 3.1. In 1996, Version 4.0 switched to the Windows 95 desktop and changed some of the dialogs (see table below).

VMS (Virtual Memory System) A multiuser, multitasking, virtual memory operating system for the VAX series from Digital. VMS applications run on any VAX from the MicroVAX to the largest unit.

kernel The fundamental part of a program, typically an operating system, that resides in memory at all times and provides the basic services. It is the part of the operating system that is closest to the machine and may activate the hardware directly or interface to another software layer that drives the hardware

Tcl/Tk (Tool Command Language/ToolKit) Pronounced "tickle" or "ticklet," it is an interpreted script language that is used to develop a variety of applications, including GUIs, prototypes and CGI scripts. Created for the Unix platform by John Ousterhout along with students at the University of California at Berkeley, it was later ported to PCs and Macs. Safe-Tcl is an enhanced Tcl interpreter that provides a secure, virus free environment.Tcl also provides an interface into compiled applications (C, C++, etc.). The application is compiled with Tcl functions, which provide a bi-directional path between Tcl scripts and the executable programs. Tcl provides a way to "glue" program modules together. The Tk part of Tcl/Tk is the GUI toolkit, which is used to create graphical user interfaces. Other languages, including Perl, Python and Scheme, have incorporated Tk as well.

multithreading Multitasking within a single program. It allows multiple streams of execution to take place concurrently within the same program, each stream processing a different transaction or message. In order for a multithreaded program to achieve true performance gains, it must be run in a multitasking or multiprocessing environment, which allows multiple operations to take place.

storage device A peripheral unit that holds data such as disk, tape or flash memory card. For a summary of all storage technologies,

iSCSI (Internet SCSI) A protocol that serializes SCSI commands and converts them to TCP/IP

SAN (Storage Area Network) A network of storage disks. In large enterprises, a SAN connects multiple servers to a centralized pool of disk storage. Compared to managing hundreds of servers, each with their own disks, SANs improve system administration. By treating all the company's storage as a single resource, disk maintenance and routine backups are easier to schedule and control. In some SANs, the disks themselves can copy data to other disks for backup without any processing overhead at the host

RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) A disk subsystem that is used to increase performance or provide fault tolerance or both. RAID uses two or more ordinary hard disks and a RAID disk controller. In the past, RAID has also been implemented via software only.

NAS
(Network Attached Storage) A specialized file server that connects to the network. A NAS device contains a slimmed-down operating system and a file system and processes only I/O requests by supporting the popular file sharing protocols, primarily CIFS for Windows and NFS for Unix.










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