IBM Company Background

In IBM's view, today's networked economy has created a global business landscape and a mandate for business change. Integrated global economies have opened markets of new opportunity and new sources of skills. The Internet has enabled communication and collaboration across the world and brought with it a new computing model premised on continuous global connection. In that landscape, companies can distribute work and technology anywhere in the world. Given these opportunities, IBM is working with its clients to develop new business designs and technical architectures that allow their businesses the flexibility required to compete in this new landscape. The business is also adjusting its footprint toward emerging geographies, tapping their double-digit growth, providing the technology infrastructure they need, and taking advantage of the talent pools they provide to better service the company's clients

Their Values:
Our values as IBMers shape everything we do, every choice we make on behalf of this company. Having a shared set of values helps us make decisions and, in the process, makes our company great. But their real influence occurs when we apply these values to our personal work and our interactions with one another and the wider world. IBMers determined that our actions will be driven by these values:

Dedication to every client's success Innovation that matters, for our company and for the world Trust and personal responsibility in all relationships

Clients of IBM:
IBM's clients include many different kinds of enterprises, from sole proprietorships to the world's largest organisations, governments and companies representing every major industry and endeavor. The majority of the company's enterprise business, which excludes the company's original equipment manufacturer (OEM) technology business, occurs in industries that are broadly grouped into six sectors:

Financial Services: Banking, Financial Markets, Insurance Public: Education, Government, Healthcare, Life Sciences Industrial: Aerospace, Automotive, Defence, Chemical and Petroleum, Electronics

Distribution: Consumer Products, Retail, Travel, Transportation Communications: Telecommunications, Media and Entertainment, Energy and Utilities Small and Medium Business: Mainly companies with less than 1,000 employee

Business operations summary

Our business model is built to support two principal goals: helping our clients succeed in delivering business value by becoming more efficient and competitive through the use of business insight and information technology solutions; and providing long-term value to our shareholders. In support of these objectives, our business model has been developed over time through strategic investments in services and technologies that have the best long-term growth and profitability prospects based on the value they deliver to clients. And inherent in the model is a commitment to employees and the communities in which we operate.

About IBM UK
IBM is a globally integrated enterprise operating in over 170 countries. Today IBM UK has around 20,000 employees, bringing innovative solutions to a diverse client base to help solve some of their toughest business challenges. In addition to being the world's largest IT and consulting services company, IBM is a global business and technology leader, innovating in research and development to shape the future of society at large. IBM's prized research, development and technical talent around the world partner with governments, corporations, thinkers and doers on ground breaking real world problems to help make the world work better and build a smarter planet. The United Kingdom & Ireland are proud to be a part of IBMs global centennial celebrations. The United Kingdom has been an integral part of IBMs global operations since 1912 when the International Time Recording Company (the predecessor to IBM UK) was formed. IBMs Ireland operations began in September 1956 when it opened its offices in Dublin. Today, IBM United Kingdom & Ireland maintains its position as a leader in technology and business services in the European market, serving clients in many different industries. Join us in celebrating our 100-year legacy by exploring our stories and contributions to IBM.

Self Service Machines

IBM is a technology leader across a range of sectors, including financial, hospitality and retail sectors. IBM believes that self service continues to be an important dynamic channel for all sectors and are committed to providing comprehensive solutions. IBM Canada, a pioneer in the self service with over 30 years in the Automated Banking Machine (ABM) and Teller Assist systems, continues its commitment and investment in self service research, technology and expertise.

Open, flexible hardware and software for multi-vendor, multi platform, third party environments Established, national installation, integration and maintenance services that are dependable and responsive Thought leadership supported with primary and secondary research to assist with self service direction Expertise in enterprise and multi-channel strategies and integration Best of breed hardware solutions from Wincor Nixdorf Interface Design and Usability for enhanced customer experience

The IBM Supermarket Application enables supermarket and hypermarket retailers around the world to use a single, powerful software solution to increase efficiency at the point of sale, improve decision-making across the enterprise, and help operators in every store deliver outstanding customer service. International and multinational retailers also will appreciate the software's fast item processing and price lookup capabilities, built-in networking, enhanced security features, convenient store updates, automated store closing functions, and an easyto-use interface that helps improve accuracy.

In self-checkout systems, the customer is permitted to scan the barcodes on their own items, and manually identify items such as fruits and vegetables (usually with a touch screen display), which are then weighed where applicable, and place the items into a bagging area. The weight observed in the bagging area is verified against previously stored information to ensure that the correct item is bagged, allowing the customer to proceed only if the observed and expected weights match. There is considerable technology, both electronic and software (artificial intelligence) involved in the operation of the machines. For example, the main reason the Optimal Robotics self-checkout system, based on Schneider's patents, did so well compared to the other model on the market at the time, e.g., the Check Robot model marketed by IBM in the 1990s,[2] is because it had self-learning functions, i.e., it didn't have to be programmed with the weight, color, etc. of a new product, but learned these features on its own. The first time the Optimal machine scanned a new product, it actually allowed the customer to scan and bag the product without interference and assumed the customer was honest (the customer would not know it was the first time it was presenting an item to the machine and would not want to try to steal something fearing an alarm would be triggered and the item rejected), and it accumulated data on the product. As the machine saw the items more times it learned what the weight tolerances of this product were, what the color tolerances were (there were color cameras overhead on the early Optimal machines), etc. This information was passed on to other self checkout machines. So in essence the machines learned on their own, and provided seemingly reliable service to the supermarket with little intervention on behalf of the supermarket. As well, similar computer routines were required to keep the machine functioning smoothly. For example, in United States Patent No. 5,125,465 awarded to Dr. Howard Schneider of Optimal Robotics on June 30, 1992, a mechanism to allow the customer to keep scanning one item after another quickly, i.e., more quickly than the scales could mechanically react to, is given. In some self-checkout systems, rather than weighing items in the bagging area, a conveyor belt moves items from the barcode scanner to the bagging area. In such a system, the item is verified while it is on the conveyor belt. Normally, an attendant watches over several self checkout machines, to provide assistance, prevent theft through exploitation of the machines' weaknesses, and enforce payment. Attendant assistance is also required for purchase of agerestricted items. Payment on these machines can be accepted by various methods: card via EFTPOS, debit/credit cards, electronic food assistance cards, cash via coin slot and bank note scanner, and in-store gift cards where applicable. Most coupons also have barcodes and can be scanned the same way that items are scanned although some require attendant entry.

Advantages
The benefit to the customer is in the reduced checkout time because stores are often able to run two to six self checkout units efficiently where it normally would have had one cashier. Self checkout may create an illusion of privacy and anonymity, when in fact the self checkout attendant can track the progress of customers on all machines via a separate terminal known as a RAP (Remote Attendant Post) The benefit to the retailer in providing self checkout machines is in reduced staffing requirements since one attendant is all that is required to run four to six checkout lanes at one time.