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The eNotes Blog Getting a Kindle for Christmas Some HelpfulInformation

Getting a Kindle for Christmas Some HelpfulInformation Is there going to be a Kindle in your stocking this year? Or perhaps you got one last year and are wanting to load up on some new materials? Or maybe youve been thinking about purchasing the new (and highly hyped/promoted) Kindle Fire? Here is a round-up of some good information on how to get the most out of your devices, save yourself some money, and make an informed decision. Free Books for Your eReader Recently, the site Bible Money Matters published a list of all the places you can virtually check out books. Here is a brief run down: Lending Communities Websites like Lendle.me allow users to borrow eBooks from each other for their Kindles. What is especially cool about this site is that users accrue points for lending their books that can be turned into Amazon gift certificates. Public Domain After a book has been in print for 75 years, it enters public domain (unless the author has put further restrictions on its entry). For nearly 40 years, Project Gutenberg has been devoted to digitizing all works in the public domain and now boasts over 36,000 free ebooks to download to your PC, Kindle, Android, iOS or other portable device. Virtual Libraries Overdrive, as well as other library services, lets you check out eBooks for a preset period of time, typically about two weeks, on many types of platforms. Protect Your eReader Last month, Londons The Telegraph reported that airport scanners can damage eReaders. Initially, the speculation was that the X-rays were damaging the electronic ink, however Professor Daping Chu, Chairman of the University of Cambridge centre for Advanced Photonics, disagrees. He argues that the radiation in those scanners is simply not powerful enough to disrupt the display. The real reason the eReaders are getting damaged, he says, is more complex. You can get a build up of static inside these machines, caused by the rubber belt rubbing. If that charge were to pass through a Kindle, it’s conceivable that it could damage the screen, Chu explains. Thinking of Buying a Kindle Fire? Read this first. Today, the New York Times published an article about the many problems first adopters of Kindle Fires are experiencing, including, but not limited to no external volume control. The off switch is easy to hit by accident. Web pages take a long time to load. There is no privacy on the device; a spouse or child who picks it up will instantly know everything you have been doing. The touch screen is frequently hesitant and sometimes downright balky. Additionally, Jakob Nielsen, a usability expert, denounced the Fire, saying it offered â€Å"a disappointingly poor† experience. â€Å"I feel the Fire is going to be a failure,† Nielson continued, â€Å"I can’t recommend buying it.† Seems like saving up for the iPad, though considerably more expensive, will ultimately be the better buy.

Performance Pay at Safelite Auto Glass Case Study

Performance Pay at Safelite Auto Glass - Case Study Example Performance Management is undoubtedly one of the most important areas in managing the operations of a business enterprise. It is clear that the present management of Safelite Auto Glass, particularly the CEO John Barlow and COO Staglin want the firm to be profitable and expand into new markets. Ever since the change of management in 1987, there have been efforts towards expanding Safelite’s reach and markets. For this purpose, Barlow hit upon the idea of allowing the setup of franchise operations all across the USA, a move which increased the number of Safelite outlets from 250 to 550 within two years from 1987 to1989 (Hall et al., p 1) . The problem here was that stores were opened up rather haphazardly and customers had problems locating the stores. To deal with this issue, the CEO then hit upon the idea of using mobile trucks to provide repair and installation services to the customers at their own location. There was no need to bring the vehicle to the repair outlet. But h ere again the problems faced were coordinating the needs of the customers and reaching the locations correctly. To solve these issues, it was decided to open up warehouse style locations complete with technicians and fitters who could service, repair and fit out a car windshield all from this central location. The communications network installed here was used to route calls to the technicians so that service and repair work could be carried out with a minimum of time wastage. A limiting factor here was that too many calls came into the more central and popular locations while others stayed idle, but this too was being addressed by forwarding calls to locations that were not so busy. It is quite evident that these expansion efforts came with a cost. To make more use of idle capacity on the part of those warehouse locations that were not too busy, the managers of those locations had themselves been put on a performance pay plan that required them to do some actual fitting, repairing and servicing when the place was not too busy. Quite possibly some of the managers might have resented this double role. Yet the fact is that they had to improve the productivity of the warehouse before they could be considered for a rating upgrade. While it is clear that the present performance pay plan is not working, part of the reason is management’s lack of strategic long term thinking. This is evident from the way that problems creep up and are solved on the run. In the beginning the franchise system created a glut of stores in some locations and scarcity in others; it also created internal competition which was counterproductive. The use of trucks as mobile repair shops was innovative but included a cost that should have been considered before launching this initiative. Safelite’s own deficiencies in the current performance pay plan make it seem that the workers are being discriminated against after the initial guarantee period of 12 weeks have passed. At the in itial stage, the worker is being guaranteed a 12-week basic wage rate depending on his previous productivity. But after 12 weeks have passed, the worker has to prove himself again by meeting the difference and also make efforts to increase his productivity. This might not always be possible due to seasonal variations, intensity of competition and manager bias in a particular warehouse. As indicated, the workers would take it easy in the first 12 weeks of the plan unless pushed by conscientious managers. They would prefer to play pinochle (Hall et al., p 5) while maintaining a minimum of productivity. Secondly, despite the best communication systems there is a lack of proper coordination between the order takers on phone and the technicians and the drivers. This point needs to be addressed because it is having an