Pacific Brands Case Study Analysis

Pacific Brands is an Australian company that manufacturers home appliances and uniforms for fire fighters. The company has experienced problems if managing its employees and staying afloat in the hard economic times. In addition, the company has decided to retire off its workers to cut on costs and reduce its spending in order to survive.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Pacific Brands Case Study Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Other companies, including some rivals, have shifted their operations to china and are doing well against the problems in the economy at the time. The other problem with the company is that it is not able to balance the salaries among its employees. While the government has tried to bail out the company from crisis, the company management decided to lay off workers and at the same time increase the earnings of its management team. It appears wrong for the company managers to do this, taking in to consideration that the company is on the verge of collapse. The other problem with the company is that it is not able to adapt to the difficult times like other companies in the region. Several other Australian companies are said to have shifted their operations to China after it became impossible for them to operate in Australia. The public image of the company is tainted since even the government was not in support of the actions of the company management of retiring off the workers while there was a better action that could have been taken. Although the relocation of operations is not a new practice in Australia, it is not ethical to follow the actions of other companies considering the fact that a pacific brand has employed many people in Australia. Management Problems The case of pacific brands is a difficult one. The company management insists on moving its operations to china in an emergency move to protect itself against the deteriorating marketing situ ation in Australia. The shift of operations is because China has cheaper labour and has a better overall access to raw materials.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, the company has not considered its priorities while it chose to move its operations to china. Although Pacific Brands claims to be flexible, it is proved otherwise by a keen examination of its decisions to move its operations to china. The company has not explored less radical idea of shifting its production to other types of goods, which are selling at a good price for the sake of its workers and its market in Australia. In addition, the management has hurt the public image when some personalities and the government come out in criticism of the company’s actions (Oshri, 2011, p.75). An overall assessment of the company’s actions shows that its management is incapable of making good decis ions on the behalf of its workers and the company as a whole. The decisions that have been taken by the company at the moment seem to be against the interest of many people who are important in the light of the company’s popularity in Australia (Oshri 2011, p.81). The actions that the company has opted to institute as a solution to the problems it faces are not in the interest of the community and the company employees (Schermerhorn 2011, p.85). The said actions are an emulation of the actions that companies took in the eighteenth century. It is not logical to compare situations and circumstances of companies from the eighteenth century with the situation of the company in Australia in the twenty first century. It can be understood that the company is facing a situation of total collapse if it fails to take action on the current problems in its marketing (Gospel Pendleton 2005, p.120). The management has contradicted itself in its commitment to survival of the company. The f acts are that the company is making profit, and that it has better options. In addition, the manufacturer has received support from the government to help the company to stay afloat in the economic situation of the time The other problem that the company has is the inability to speculate the future trend of the market and the labour. Currently, the problems that the company faces are due to global economic crisis. An earlier detection of the impending problems in the company’s operations could have helped the company salvage the situation in a better way.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Pacific Brands Case Study Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This is supported by the fact that the company has decided to move its operations to china when it is already too late. The time that it would take for the company to shift from Australia to China, and the cost of the actions does not seem logical dep ending on the nature of the problem at hand (Oshri et al 2009, p.52). Another problem in the company’s operations is the lack of an alternative product to market during low economic times. The company’s production lines seem fixated on selling the same goods it had been producing when it was performing better. Possible Solutions If Pacific Brands wished to control the rise of prices of its products in the market, it should have considered other means. One of the tactics that would have been useful in solving the problems that the company faces now is cutting down on its spending. It is noted that the workers are not complaining on the current pay of the general labour population. However, the company has decided to increase the pay of its management while ignoring the plight of the bigger worker population. It is absurd decision to increase any of the company employee’s salaries when the company faces closure due to financial insolvency (Schermerhorn 2011, p.89) . The management team including the president of the company is a part of the labour force that the company pays to maintain operations. However, the management has decided to ignore this fact and go on to exempt them by increasing their salaries at this time. Instead of a complete shift of operations to other countries, the company should have considered selling some of its assets to a willing foreign company to increase its capital base (Hopkins 2010, p.46). In addition, the company should have considered shifting its production to other goods since the products it was offering at that time were already being offered in the country at a cheaper price. Justification Pacific Brands is in dire crises now. Its experienced labour and its factories are at the risk of being permanently lost in the temporary economic depression. The company ought not to have decided to move its operations since it still has other options.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Shifting line of production and reducing spending and overheads is one of the solutions that would have helped the company survive hard times. Moreover, the negative publicity associated with the company’s action is not worth risking, considering that its major market is in Australia. References Gospel, H. F., Pendleton, A 2005, Corporate governance and labour management: an international comparison, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Hopkins, T 2010, Selling in tough times: secrets to selling when no one is buying, Business Plus, New York. Oshri, I., Kotlarsky, J., Willcocks, L 2009, The handbook of global outsourcing and offshoring, New York Publishers, Basingstoke, Hampshire. Oshri, I 2011, Offshoring strategies: evolving captive center models, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass. Schermerhorn, J. R 2011, Management foundations and applications, John Wiley, Milton, Qld. This case study on Pacific Brands Case Study Analysis was written and submitted by user Madeline Albert to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Hobbes, Machiavelli and human nature Essays

Hobbes, Machiavelli and human nature Essays Hobbes, Machiavelli and human nature Paper Hobbes, Machiavelli and human nature Paper Essay Topic: Leviathan Throughout our study of political theory this semester there seems to be a recurring theme prevalent in each of the readings, that being an attempt to explain and characterize human nature. The concept of human nature relies on the idea that there is an innate set of characteristics shared by all humans which explain the way people act, feel, or even think. As a political scientist, its important to question what causes these characteristics to exist, if at all, as they are of great importance when trying to understand the vast political structure and all of the underlying factors which allow politics to function. I would also argue that the understanding of the concept of human nature is also crucial when discussing the realm of human society, as the idea of human nature provides the standard for how people can functionally coexist with one another while also determining whether or not an individual has lead a good life or not. Thomas Hobbes and Machiavelli provide the best accounts of true human nature, as both men suggest that humans, by nature, are corrupt, self-interested, and are destined to destroy themselves and the people around them in an attempt to achieve their own desires, ideas which one can still see practiced in modern day capitalism. In his writing of Leviathan, Hobbes describes the individual human as a highly sophisticated machine, in which all of the inner-workings described as mechanical functions (Leviathan, p. 9). Hobbes relation of a human to a machine provides the jumping off point for his belief regarding what drives human actions. Hobbes claims that certain appetites or desires come about in the human experience and that these desires must be dealt with, and that each individual will choose to act upon these appetites in an effort to achieve their own self-preservation (Leviathan, p. 39). This view that it is human nature to act upon the desires which are most prevalent in our lives raises the idea that humans are innately self-interested, if not selfish. Hobbes acknowledges that the natural human inclination to act independently of one another while promoting self-interests results in a perpetual state of war through which men will attempt to conquer one another to achieve personal desires (Leviathan, p. 88-89). The state of war proposed by Hobbes results in a way of life that is solitary, poore, nasty, brutish, and short (Leviathan, p.89). The self-interested behavior that humans innately exhibit according to Hobbes, seems to draw a direct modern day parallel to the actions undertaken by many in Americas current capitalistic economic system, an issue which I will tackle farther along in my paper, but now I will turn to another cynic of human nature, Niccolo Machiavelli. Machiavelli, perhaps even more so than Hobbes, had a very pessimistic view regarding human nature which is quite relevant throughout the numerous chapters of The Prince. For one can say this generally of men: that they are ungrateful, fickle, pretenders and dissemblers, evaders of danger, eager for gain. While you do them good, they are yours, offering you their blood, property, lives, and children when the need for them is far away; but, when it is close to you, they revolt. (The Prince, p. 66) Here Machiavelli provides an obviously destructive criticism of human nature, in that men innately are beings that will turn on one another at the drop of a hat when things arent going the way they wish them to. The statement that men are also eager for gain is also very telling in that Machiavelli believes, similar to the thought process of Hobbes, that it is human nature to act in a self-interested manner, where all that really matters is individual prosperity rather than social well-being. Machiavelli continues his assault on the nature of men when stating, love is held by a chain of obligation, which, because men are wicked, is broken at every opportunity for their own utility (The Prince, p. 66). Machiavelli here makes several ascertations regarding human nature, some similar to the beliefs presented by his first quote. First that the affection and trustworthiness of men is constantly on a tipping scale, in affluent times men can be trusted and are capable of love towards others, whereas when harsh times befall men, then will act to deceive and revert back to their selfish nature in order to gain a leg up in society. In reference to the chain of obligation being broken, Machiavelli is stating that it is human nature for men to break the ties which bind them to certain obligations when they see fit, and the breaking of these bonds shows how untrustworthy human beings truly are. Machiavelli yet again questions the trustworthiness and the self-interests of human nature by stating and if all men were good, this teaching would not be good; but because they are wicked and do not observe faith with you.. (The Prince, p. 69). Machiavelli again postulates that by human nature men are wicked, and in this instance in referring to the fact that men cannot be trusted because they do not share the same desires that the Prince may have. The idea that due to human nature men cannot be trusted again rears its ugly head. Finally I present a fourth and final quote from Machiavelli in regards to his thoughts of human nature: Truly it is a very natural and ordinary thing to desire to acquire, and always, when men do it who can, they will be praised or not blamed; but when they cannot, and wish to do it anyway, here lie the error and the blame. (The Prince, p. 14-15) Machiavelli again takes aim at the innate human desire to acquire wealth and material possessions for himself, but also at those who attempt to obtain such things. Another idea presented here is that one aspect of human nature is to glorify those who can achieve their goals, while at the same time admonishing those who, for some circumstance, werent able to achieve a certain goal. This statement says a lot regarding human nature, in that through achievement of goals one might obtain some sort of power, and it is human nature to admire any form of power regardless of how it can about. Machiavellis opinion of human nature is one that is cynical and at times dreadful, but in referencing his beliefs to the modern day acts of those in America, I dont think he was far off. 1. ) Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan https://reserves. lib. ncsu. edu/reservesViewer. php? reserve=158326 Accessed 2/22/10 2. ) Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince. Trans. Harvey C. Mansfield. Chicago, IL: The U of Chicago P, 1998. Print.

The Best Marketing Campaign Template For Success

The Best Marketing Campaign Template For Success Marketing campaign planning is a complex process. Delivering one consistent message across multiple channels to reach your audience isn’t easy. Without smart strategy and sound processes in place, it can quickly become a disorganized mess. In this post, youll learn how to map out successful marketing campaigns. From planning to execution, you’ll keep everything on track to guide your organization or client toward success. First, we’ll walk through how to build a marketing campaign creative brief, outlining your strategy for client or supervisor approval. Then, we’ll show you how to map out a marketing project timeline for your campaign. Plus, youll get two free templates to make sure you have the tools to put this advice into practice. Grab em both! The Marketing Suite For The Pros Are you looking for an *optimal* way to manage your marketing campaigns? ...a way that doesn't require three different spreadsheets no one other than you uses? ...a way that is *actually* designed to help you manage marketing campaigns (rather than just any old business project)? is that Platform. Here's what makes the best family of marketing tools to help you organize everything you're working on: Manage All Your Marketing Campaigns in ONE Place With the Marketing Calendar, you can create and manage a single publishing calendar that serves as the blueprint for your content, social, email, events, and more - all in one place. Plan Your Entire Content Marketing Strategy The Content Organizer helps your team ideate, plan, create, and publish in one place. Organize your entire editorial schedule while integrating with your blog, email, and social platforms. Overcome Collaboration Hurdles The Work Organizer consolidates team resource planning and project management to help you complete every project on time. Delegate team tasks like a pro, keep a pulse on every project and understand your team’s capacity to keep everything moving forward. Social Scheduling, But Smarter No more disconnected single-purpose tools. Use the Social Organizer to create large-scale campaigns in seconds. Intelligently schedule using Best Time Scheduling, fill out your social calendar via ReQueue social automation, and see your results with social media analytics. ...alright, now let's get to business! Table of Contents Pitching Your Campaign Focusing on 10X Goals Developing Creative Campaign Concepts Establish Your Target Audience Assemble Your Team + Know Your Budget Channel Selection Goals Metrics Mapping Out Campaign Execution Why Spend Time on Marketing Campaign Planning? Quality creative work doesn’t happen by accident. If you’re churning out nothing but ad hoc projects or skipping strategy sessions, then your work is unlikely to impact the bottom line. That leads to budget cuts for your department, making success even more difficult to achieve. When they’re planned the right way, successful marketing campaigns do the following: They connect with your target audience. You should know who you want to reach, and how you want to reach them. They move the needle on your KPIs. You should be producing real results you can measure with actual numbers. They grow your business. Attracting leads and raising revenue are what this is all about. Execution without a plan is just busywork. Busywork doesn’t build businesses or make meaningful careers. Pitching Your Campaign: Preparing a Creative Brief Once you know what you’ll do, how you’ll do it, and who you’ll do it for, it’s time to pitch your campaign to your stakeholders. For in-house (or client-side) marketers, that could mean your boss (or their boss). If you’re at an agency, that’ll mean your clients. One of the best ways to do this is with a well-prepared campaign brief. Here’s what yours should include: Campaign summary: This is a brief description of your campaign’s marketing goals and creative concept. Resources:Â  This is your budget, team members, and projected timeline to complete the campaign. Talking Points:Â  Break down your message into bullet points. Goals + Measurement:Â  This is how you’ll gauge the success of your campaign. Marketing Campaign Timeline: Map out when each piece of your project will be completed. Download the marketing campaign template kit that complements this blog posts to fill in the Word document: Focusing on 10X Goals: Start By Stating Your Objective Without a clear objective, you risk producing directionless work that doesn’t deliver measurable results. You end up spinning your wheels, working hard toward nothing in particular, which is a recipe for burnout and frustration. That’s why every campaign should start with a goal in mind.

Islamic architecture 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Islamic architecture 2 - Essay Example The beginning of Islamic Architecture takes place with the construction of the Great Mosque at Cordoba in the Iberian Peninsula. Muslims as well as the Christians consider it a wonder of the medieval ages. The construction of great mosque of Cordoba initiated in between â€Å"784 and 786 at the site of a Christian Visigothic Church† 2. In specific, Abd ar-Rahman acquired the church, and subsequently, his grandchildren modified it over two centuries to transform it into a religious entity, starting in 784. The mosque itself was built in four phases  and is observed as a trademark of sacred Islamic architecture. Ferdinand III king of Castile took over Cordoba in 12363 and sanctioned the Great Mosque as the cathedral of city, Mezquita, and used it with negligible changes for the next three centuries4. In 929, when Abd al-Rahman III5 confirmed himself caliph, and the Spanish Umayyads attained the peak of their supremacy. The caliph built the fortress capital of Madinah al-Zahra about thirteen kilometers Northwest of Cordoba, with its focus to impress the world and exhibit its massive military. He made it his empires managerial and legislative headquarters. The construction in Medina al-Zahra proceeded speedily, particularly since Abd al-Rahman III put in one third of the state revenues in its progression. Finally, he brought in the largest and most grand secular venture of his period, which stayed matchless irrespective of the numerous cities founded until its end. As the caliphate fell in the 11th century, the city then was sacked and smoldered. The new Minister of Caliph Hisham II, Vizir-ul-Mansur6 shifted his concentration towards the east of Cordoba and deserted the city during his reign. Later, the Berber troops destroyed this palace-city in 10107. The Great Mosque of Cordoba is most illustrious for its gigantic arches, with approximately eight hundred fifty six pillars of natural stones. These legendary

Discuss Proust's theory of memory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discuss Proust's theory of memory - Essay Example Proust, a contemporary of Freud was greatly influenced by the latter in his philosophical leanings and in literary work. Freud treated symbolism in his book Psychoanalysis. According to this theory he propounded which must have influenced Proust, objects or ideas are represented by symbols. Our dreams can symbolize something we have left unexpressed and remain embedded in our unconscious mind. Many of Freud's ideas, however, are sex-oriented . In the complex realm of our existence, the truth remains that ugliness and perversion abound which we try to prevent from surfacing in our conscious mind. These however may find their way into consciousness in our unguarded moments. Proust was a realist and at the same time a symbolist. As such he portrays mental awareness as stream of consciousness. This reduces man's dignity as a human being. Common to Freud and Proust's work is the prevalence or integration of sex into their hierarchy of value.

Approaches to Psychology Essay Example for Free

Approaches to Psychology Essay The psychoanalytic approach was started and developed mainly in Europe between 1900 and 1939 by Sigmund Freud, a Viennese doctor who specialized in neurology. As a doctor, he became interested in the field of hysteria the manifestation of physical symptoms without physical causes and became convinced that unconscious mental causes were responsible, and could be responsible for all mental disorders and even our personality. He created the theory of personality, and based his ideas upon intensive case studies of a considerable range of patients, especially his infamous study on Little Hans, a young boy who Freud carried out psychoanalysis upon. Bowlby (1946) applied Freuds theories when he used psychoanalysis on a large group of children with various ages on a study of habitual delinquency. The central emphasis is on dynamic, biological processes especially those taking place in the unconscious mind, and involves the idea of psychic determinism, i. e. Freudian slips. Freud said that we all have instinctual drives wishes, desires, needs, or demands, which are hidden and suppressed from the consciousness because society disapproves of their open expression. Freud proposes three main components of the mind; the id, the ego and the superego. The id operates on the pleasure principle and its goal is immediate gratification and reduction of tension caused by irrational impulses. The ego operates on the reality principle, and controls the id in its reaction with the world. The superego operates on the idealisation principle, with norms and values of society being internalised. According to this approach, we all undergo psychosexual stages oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital which gradually motivate the individual to focus on the libido, and can be linked with the Oedipus complex. The libido is described as psychic energy behind primary drives of hunger, aggression, sex and irrational impulses. Fixation at any of these stages can lead to behaviour in our adulthood reflecting earlier stages of our childhood, which are caused by unresolved conflicts. For example, fixation at the oral stage can cause adult behaviour that is centred on the mouth (eating, smoking, etc. ) The purpose of psychoanalysis was as a therapy to treat mental disorder by means of treating the unconscious mind. The methods that Freud used for investigating the unconsciousness were by means of case studies, and deep analysis and interpretation. Free association involves the uninhibited expression of thought association, no matter how bizarre or embarrassing, from the client to the analyst. Dream analysis involves the analyst attempting to decode the symbols and unravel the hidden meaning (the latent content) of a dream from the dreamers report (the manifest content). Freud used his theory to explain a number of topics. He explained that the development of personality came from fixations or defence mechanisms, and that aggression was caused by hydraulic drives and displacement. Abnormality was seen as the consequence of early traumas and repression, which subsequently could impair our moral and gender development, the latter being the result of the Oedipus complex. The psychoanalytic approach has been greatly influential within psychology, in areas such as psychotherapy and developmental theories, and also beyond in art, literature and other sciences, some 100 years since Freud first developed his ideas. His theory has had some experimental support in certain areas, such as repression and fixation. Freud introduced the world to the concept of the unconscious, and regarded his case studies like Little Hans and Anna O as firm empirical support for his theory. He thought his belief in determinism and detailed collection of data were scientific, yet many psychologists today argue that his theories and ideas are too biological, that is that they rely too much on the influence of basic instincts and physical drives. Most of Freuds ideas and concepts came from only a handful of results on the study of children. Freud could have allowed his own prejudices to shape his analysis, leading to no objective measures. His close interventions and feedback to the childs family could have changed the childs behaviour and that of its family. Psychoanalysis lacks rigorous empirical support, especially regarding normal development, and leads to reductionism, i. e. it reduces human activity to a basic set of structures, which cant account for behaviour. Freuds ideas have been accused of being irrefutable, and are therefore theoretically unscientific. Another approach to psychology is the behaviourist approach, which concentrates on the theory of learning and behavioural therapy, and tries to explain behaviour in terms of its relation to environmental events (stimuli), rather than any innate factors. The view that behaviour should be the sole subject matter of psychology was first advanced by the American psychologist John B. Watson in the early 1900s. His position came to be called behaviourism. He believed that psychologists could not afford to speculate upon the unobservable inner workings of the mind, since they are too private to be studied scientifically. For the behaviourist, much of their research focuses on objectively observable behaviour, rather than any internal process. The approach proposes that behaviour is radical, and that it is caused and maintained in this way.

The Berlin Book Burning and the Beginning of the Nazi Regime Essay

Leaders are always looking to demonstrate their power. They want to show the world that they are the ones in authority, that no one should cross their path or challenge their ideas. To do this leaders burn books that they want to efface from the minds of their followers. Book burnings are always a part of a massive turning point in history, either for good or bad. In most cases book burnings appear towards the beginning of the battle, to strengthen everyone’s opinion to be with or against whatever the leaders may be burning. Burnings of books appear all over history, and all over the world, so they were not a rare sight to see or hear of. The Nazi regime burned books on May 10, 1933 in Berlin; it was one of the first book burnings that they preformed around Germany before and during WWII. The German poet Heinrich Heine in 1822 perfectly predicted what the Nazi regime was going to do during WWII in one sentence: â€Å"Where they burn books, they will, in the end, burn human be ings too† (Heine), which leads to the fact that the Berlin Book Burning was just the start of a new gruesome period in time. Though just because book burnings took place on several occasions in history does not mean it did not affect anyone, matter of fact it was of massive importance. The Berlin Book Burning had a colossal impact on the Nazis; it allowed their ideas to spread, it increased the awareness and fear of the Nazis, and it helped ensure the ignorance of the Germans. The Berlin Book Burning burned writings that the German student associations viewed as â€Å"un-German†, which then made the Nazi’s ideas spread to places it had not reached before and allowed it to take control. Dr. Goebbels was the mastermind behind the Berlin Book Burning. Dr. Goebbels was ma... ...els: Minister of Propaganda and Enlightenment." Joseph Goebbels. Historical . . Boys' Clothing, 9 July 2010. Web. 05 Nov. 2013. "Joseph Goebbels: On the "Big Lie"" Joseph Goebbels On the "Big Lie" Jewish Virtual Library. . . Web. 03 Nov. 2013. Milton, John. "Quotations about Liberty and Power." Areopagitica . Ed. Sir Richard C. Jebb. . Areopagitica, with a Commentary by Sir Richard C. Jebb and with Supplementary Material . . ed.: Cambridge at the UP, 1918. N. pag. Areopagitica a Speech of Mr John Milton. 15 May . 2006. Web. 03 Nov. 2013. Stern, Guy. "The Burning of the Books in Nazi Germany, 1933: The American Response." 2 . Annual 2 Chapter 05-Simon Wiesenthal Center Multimedia Learning Center. The Simon , . Wiesenthal Center, 1997. Web. 03 Nov. 2013.

How to do things

As the given quantity. How many significant figures are in the following quantities? Calculations with significant figures: Rounding: If the first digit to be dropped is 4 or less, then it and all following digits are simply dropped from the number If the first digit to be dropped is 5 or greater, then the last detained digit is increased by 1 (I. E. Round up). 4. 2349 4. 2379 10. 010 10. 016 Multiplication and Division: The final answer in the calculation should have the same number of significant figures as the measurement with the fewest significant figures. Addition and Subtraction: The final answer in the calculation should have the same number of decimal places as the measurement with the fewest decimal places.Solve each of the following calculations and give an answer with the correct number of decimal places or significant figures. 45. 48 CM + 8. 057 CM = 1. 008 L – 0. 58596 L – 45. 7 x 0. 034 – 0. 00278 x 5 00 x 185 – 2. 40 / (4+ 125) = (3. 64 â⠂¬â€œ 0. 070) / 0. 00035 Conversion Factors: Conversion factors are used to change from one unit to another. Density, military, parts per million (pimp), parts per billion (BP), percentages, OLDS values are some examples of conversion factors. 1. 00 inch = 2. 54 CM is another conversion factor (metric to English and vice versa).Study Note: You do not need to memorize conversion factors. HOWEVER you should know how to write all the conversion factors listed above. Use the data on Table 1. 8 on page 21 and the table on the back of the textbook cover to solve C. F. Problems. A ewe examples of calculations using conversion factors: 1. A person who weighs 175 pounds is 8% body fat. How many pounds of fat does the person have? 2. The OLDS (or Lethal Dose that kills 50% of the test population†¦ Which are rats) value is a measure of a substance's toxicity. The lower the value the more toxic the substance.EVERY chemical has an OLDS value How many MGM of caffeine will kill a 175 pound pe rson if the OLDS of caffeine is 192 MGM/keg? 3. How many liters of olive oil are in 30. 0 g if the density of the oil is 0. 92 g/ml at 25 co? (Density is a C. F. Used to convert mass to volume for a liquid). *Challenge: How many goof gasoline are in 40. 1 gallons? Density: The amount of mass in a given volume for any substance. D =m/v Specific Gravity: A ratio of the density off liquid to the density of water. This is a ENTITLES number. Density and therefore specific gravity vary with temperature.Liquids become viscous when cooled and thin out when heated. A Hydrometer is used to measure the specific gravity of liquids like beer, urine, inkiest dyes and other substances. The specific gravity of urine can be a quick indicator of certain health problems: Reduced specific gravity diabetes insipid certain renal diseases excess fluid intake diabetes mellitus Raised specific gravity dehydration adrenal insufficiency nephritis congestive cardiac-failure liver disease Constant specific grav ity chronic renal disorder This brew-master in figure 1. 3 is using a hydrometer to determine the progress of fermentation. Why does ice float? Study Goals for Chapter 1: Write quantities in scientific notation (and vice versa) Identify the amount of significant figures in a measurement Use conversion factors to change units in a quantity Understand the importance of specific gravity readings of urine ENERGY Everything in the universe is either matter or energy Matter: Anything that has mass and occupies space. Solids, liquids, gases, atoms, and even subatomic particles (protons, neutrons and electrons). Energy: The ability to do work.Two main categories of energy: Potential Energy: Stored energy such as food, gasoline, wood prior to burning, water at the top of a dam, TAP (the bodies energy source) etc. Kinetic Energy: Energy of motion such as running (burning carbohydrates and fat), driving a car (burning gasoline or hydrogen), water flowing over a dam, a campfire, etc. Electromag netic Radiation (light energy): Visible light, infrared light, ultraviolet light, microwaves, X- says are some examples of electromagnetic energy. As matter gets smaller (I. E. Approaching the bottom of the pyramid of life), it starts to behave like energy.Matter is nothing more than organized energy! Check out the film What the Bleep Do We Know For more on this subject of matter and energy. Heat: Temperature: Units of Energy: The SSL unit for energy is the Joule 0), a derived unit. The older and more common unit is the calorie (Cal). 1 calorie = 4. 184 J Energy and Nutrition For measuring the amount of energy in food or burned during exercise, the calories (aka food calorie) is used and is abbreviated C. When you read a label on a box of food the amount of energy is in food calories. 1 C = 1,000.Cal How do we measure the amount of C in food? Burn it in a calorimeter! When food is ignited and burned, the heat warms the water in the surrounding combustion chamber. The energy given of f by the food is proportional to the temperature change of the water and can be easily calculated. Please memorize the following conversion factors! You should leave this class knowing how much energy is in each food type. How many C are in 6. 0 oz of ground beef which contains 45. 0 Goff protein and 1 1. 0 g of fat? What are the main functions of fats, proteins and carbohydrates in the body?More on this at the end of the course. Temperature Conversions Table 2. 5 Celsius to Kelvin: -arc + 273 Celsius to Fahrenheit: -arc = (TFH – 32)/ 1. 8 No need to memorize these, Just know how to use them properly. Normal body temperature is 96. 8 – 98. 6 OF. Deviations outside of this range begin to impair body functions. Therefore, accurate readings to one decimal place are necessary. Specific Heat is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1. 0 grams of any substance exactly 1 co. Every substance absorbs heat, some more than others. Water has an extremely high heat capacity.In the reverse process (freezing) energy (heat) is lost. Why do you get chill when you exit the shower? Heat of Vaporization = Energy needed to convert 1. 0 Goff a liquid into a gas (or vapor). L to V, energy is absorbed by the liquid. V to L, energy is lost by the vapor. Heat mass X Heat of vaporization Hap for water = 540 cal/g. Of water Heat of Fusion = Energy needed to convert 1. 0 Goff a solid into a liquid. Heat = (mass) (Heat of fusion) Some substances go directly from the solid to the vapor phase. This process is called sublimation. Dry ice (CA), iodine (12), camphor, and menthol are examples.

HUM 102 Week 1 Individual Assignment Humanities Today Paper Essay

When learning about people and their cultures, it becomes inevitably to recognize how people are the result of their traditions, their stories, their ideas, and their words. It also becomes necessarily to learn about how people from past generations created the world they lived in and how this world made them the way they were. Learning about humanities is more than studying about past cultures. Each generation leaves a creative legacy, the sum of its ideas and achievements. This legacy represents the response to the effort to ensure individual and collective survival, the need to establish ways of  living in harmony with others, and the desire to understand everyone’s place in the universe (Fiero, 2011). The study of Humanities is the study of the people and how they learn and documented their human experiences through art, music, architecture, philosophy, and literature. Defining Humanities â€Å"The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences† (University of South Florida, 2014). The primary definition of the singular form â€Å"humanity† refers to being â€Å"humane† that  means civilized and well-educated. Humane people recognize and practice concepts like â€Å"hospitality† and â€Å"justice†, even though its definition may vary in different places. The word â€Å"humanity† also refers to the â€Å"human race†. Using the word â€Å"humanities† it usually refers to the field of study within university settings, a group of subjects scholars study, discuss and debate including history, music, art, languages, philosophy, religion, and literature. (Behling, 2012) There are qualities that distinguish the humanities from other modes of human inquiry and expression. The humanities engage in critical evaluation of visual, literary, communication and performing arts. In other words, the humanities critically analyze the human experiences HUMANITIES TODAY 3 across cultures that engage all modes of understanding such as intellectual, imaginative, and emotional. The study of humanities goes beyond just practicing the arts. It is the intense analysis of the art and its outcomes as well as how the imagination, emotions, and uncertainty affect the human being. The humanities explore the relationship between the insubstantial and hidden meanings. It provides expression to all forms of human experience using all modes of understanding. The humanities capture the idea that is not just to study the arts but to engage with other modes of understanding including rational, intellectual, and critical mode as learned from social sciences. The humanities understand the role of individuals in exploring the human conditions. It reflects on the form and the content of all modes of expression including language, visual, auditory, or tactile. The study of humanities attends to the aspects of human experience that cannot be measured. For instance, when learning a new language. The humanities recognize the general patterns of literature, linguistic, visual and performing arts throughout history. It also constructs and evaluates oral and written discussions in a logical form. The Current Developments in Politics, Socioeconomics, and Technology The arts, music, architecture, philosophy, and literature, are some of the disciplines of the humanities. These disciplines offer models and methods for addressing dilemmas and acknowledging ambiguity. They can help individuals face the tension between their concerns; promote informed discussions of conflicts; and place current issues in historical perspective. These disciplines of humanity give voice and artistic shape to experience, balancing passion and rationality while exploring issues of morality and value. The study of humanities provides the HUMANITIES TODAY 4 scenario in which expressions, interpretations, and experiences can be recognized in areas explored by shared interests (The Ohio Humanities Council, 2015). The visual arts employ a wide variety of media, ranging from traditional colors used in painting, to wood, clay, marble, plastic and neon used in sculptures, to digital media, including photography and film. The form of the art work depends on the manner in which the artist manipulates the elements of color, line, texture, and space. Artists manipulate form to describe the visible world or to create worlds of fantasy. (Fiero, 2011) There is a strong relationship between the arts and politics. In response to current political events within society, the arts may adopt certain social dimensions focusing on the controversy and on inspiring social changes. For instance, Alexander Pushkin, (who died in 1837 at the age of 37), was a famous Russian writer who used his talent to irritate Russian officials by  composing extremely arrogant and independent material which made fun of major and minor dictators (Wikipedia, 2015). The Arts are a form of expression used to manifest all types of emotions – in earlier and current times. It is a talent inspired by the free spirit of those with the capacity to express it. The major elements of music are melody, rhythm, and harmony. However, while literary and visual texts are usually descriptive, music is almost nonrepresentational: it rarely has meaning beyond sound itself. Dance is the art form made by the human body as a way of expression and performance oriented. (Fiero, 2011) Information collected by the Department of Education of the United States revealed that students involved in band or orchestra during their middle and high school years demonstrated to have higher levels of math proficiency by grade twelve. This data also showed that students who participate in school band have the lowest levels of current and lifelong use of alcohol, tobacco, HUMANITIES TODAY 5 and illicit drugs when compared to other groups within society. (Music Empowers Foundation, 2015) The architecture and its planning are fundamentally based in society. The built  environment affects the everyday actions of the people and their understanding of cultural values, social relations, institutions, and distributions of power. The failure of architects and planners to learn from the stories that are part of the people’s lives and to actually link the community values in their work is at the core of many urban dysfunctions present in current times. (Bartholomew & Locher, 2007) In terms of philosophy, the search for the truth through reasoned analysis, and history make use of prose to analyze and communicate ideas and information. In terms of literature,  content and form are usually interrelated. The subject manner or form of a literary piece determines its genre. For instance, a long narrative poem that recounts the adventures of a hero constitutes an epic while a formal speech in praise of a person or thing constitutes a tribute. (Fiero, 2011) Conclusion The humanities today gives you the capacity to interpret ideas, a greater creativity, the ability to analyze things from different perspectives, the development of a richer understanding of other people’s feelings and experiences as well as human nature, the ability to listen and think,  and how to engage with expressing oneself. HUMANITIES TODAY 6 References Bartholomew, K. & Locher, M. , University of Utah (2007). People & Place: Humanities-based Pedagogy in Architecture and Planning. Retrieved from http://faculty. arch. utah. edu/bartholomew/Bartholomew_Locher. pdf Behling, D. , Huffington Post (2012). On Studying the Humanities: What Does it Mean to be Human? Retrieved from http://www. huffingtonpost. com/david-behling/humanities- majors_b_1569600. html? Fiero, G. , (2011). The Humanistic Tradition, Book 3: The European Renaissance, The Reformation, and The Global Encounter. McGraw-Hill, New York, NY. Music Empowers Foundation (2015). Why Music? Retrieved from http://musicempowersfoundation. org/why-music The Ohio Humanities Council (2015). What Are The Humanities? Retrieved from http://www. units. miamioh. edu/technologyandhumanities/humanitiesdefinition. htm University of South Florida. College of Arts and Sciences (2014). What is Humanities? Retrieved from http://humanities. usf. edu/undergraduate/ba/ Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia (2015). The Arts and Politics. Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/The_arts_and_politics.

Case of barclay memorial hospital Essays

Case of barclay memorial hospital Essays Case of barclay memorial hospital Paper Case of barclay memorial hospital Paper By browsing on the brief history of the Barclay Memorial Hospital, one will notice one thing that would immediately be blamed for its bankruptcy- bad leadership. BMH was beforehand performing excellent on the aspects of financial, managerial and services including the morale of the employees. As has been mentioned, BMH has been in the business for fifty years and it is to be stressed that those years has been spent for excellent services rendered to its clients (p. 95). Being a district hospital, it should have pretty good edge on other private hospitals especially on matters of legal affairs. It does have the edge in lower service fees over private hospitals because it operates as government owned business and therefore is supported by tax revenues from the district. It is also an advantage for BMH to be a district hospital because it could have a better service appeal or service loyalty on the part of the district residents having the sense of ownership the district hospital. BMH has an established edge in the market because of the fact that it is the most desirable choice of maternity hospital (p. 96). Its attentive nurses and newly renovated private rooms are enough to make their services more appealing. The annual number of patients that has availed of its services is an evidence of its financial health. With 325,000 patients every year, we can estimate that it has about 900 patients everyday which means that its 300 bed-capacity is fully utilized assuming that part of the 900 patients are out-patients or has stayed just about two days at BMH. With $120 million gross annual revenues, one will understand that it is generating $10 million monthly or around $350,000 everyday. With 600 full time employees, BMH must have been financially stable to pay for their salaries and benefits. Although it was not clearly stated what percentage of this gross revenues were spent in operating expenses, we can say that the hospital is financially healthy. The first major bad decision that BMH management did was to merge with Valley Physician Group (VPG) and the Physician Hospital Organization (PHO). What was obviously wrong here is that they know that VPG and PHO’s first requirement is to have BMH be privatized. This means that BMH would have to lose its benefits when it was just operating as a district hospital. Another thing is that there would obviously be changes in its management strategies and at least the board of directors, the key management personnel and of course the implementation of its bylaws. With privatization and merging with VPG, BMH can no longer decide on its own because it has already allowed other people to intervene in its business affairs. The result then was its bankruptcy. There was no clear explanation as why BMH management decided to join VPG and PHO when its operations are said to be at a healthy stage. In my opinion there was no sound basis for deciding to do so because there seems to be no need of joining VPG or PHO as a marketing strategy or as part of survival catch up. Because there are already more people involved in the running the hospital, there were already more people who have their own vested interests intertwined in the affairs of BMH and that what was bad here is the reality of conflicting interests over BMH operations. BMH had elected an abusive CEO who was so irresponsible of letting his patients wait long enough that high-paid staff were made idle. With the CEO’s conduct, it had spent utilities and operating expenses including the excessive use of supplies so irresponsibly that it took just sometime to let BMH lose almost all of its capacity to generate income. Obviously, BMH was not able to control the poor management style of its key management personnel and that the board of directors just let that thing happen until BMH crashed down. It was of BMH’s luck to have Schilling who was able to have the courage and the will to save what was left of BMH. Schilling at first was a good choice because of his ability to eliminate the hospital’s deficit, he was able to bring back the benefits of the employees and even increased their salaries, reduced the percentage of expenses versus their revenues and most importantly, he was able to bring back BMH into a district hospital. Schilling however had a problem with delegation of authority. It may not seem to be an indication of irresponsibility for letting Porter, the COO to make the most of management affairs. However he must have placed too much confidence on the COO who does not seem to be a good leadership pick. It is not clear whether Schilling was aware of the authoritarian style of Porter’s leadership or that Schilling just ignore the situation. Whatever is the case, Schilling cannot be excused for leaving almost everything in the hands of Porter. Another major bad decision made by the CEO was that of keeping the strategic plan confidential from the rest of the board members. First, I would say that this decision was highly unethical based on the fact that business ethics require that management affairs should be kept transparent to the members of the board as the major decision makers of the business. Secondly, it is improper to keep the board member wondering what was going on with the plans. In fact, planning should involve the members of the board since they are the major stakeholders of the business. Lastly it was improper that Schilling made the strategic plan a surprise for all. The bad side of this step is that it the said plan has not been reviewed by the members of the board and in that case, whatever the loophole contained therein has not been corrected nor was being noticed. This was what happened to Schilling’s strategic plan which later turned out to be faulty for having his financial projection resulted to $24 million loss (p. 101). The most immediate result was that Schilling lost support from the members of the board including the management. In an organization, I believe that the most important part of leadership is of establishing a formidable relationship with its members- from the top management to the least of the personnel at the bottom of the organizational chart. It is vital for a leader to have the support of at least the majority of its members in order that he will be able to implement his plans well enough because of the support and loyalty he gets from the members. It is vital that communication lines are kept open, in two-way, in order that vital information flow freely in that line for decision-making purposes. Losing support from employees and other organizational members, especially the decision makers, would make a leader inefficient. I believe that it does not take a brilliant CEO to run a profitable company; rather I believe that a responsible, sensitive and lowly CEO can run a company with a healthy working environment. Schilling is good but was weak enough to tolerate the existence of Porter and Mavory in his way. The consultant should start working here. Carson as the newly hired consultant, although is expected to work independently, should first work on having the support of the members of the board and the major decision-makers at BMH. More than Porter, Carson must be able to eliminate the kind of Mavory who was not actually a troubled physician but a troubling one inside BMH. The old strategic plan developed by Schilling should be replaced since there was already evidence that it was faulty especially on the financial projection. Carson should be able to develop a new strategic plan with the participation of the members of the board. This will be the first step Carson can do to get the support from the members of the board. She has an actual experience with this kind of situation and I would assume that she exactly know how to have things done. However, I would suggest that Carson be able to work on the conflicts on interests among the members of the board especially that of Mavory. Carson should be able to get the support Mavory has from the other board members as starting point. Getting their support away from Mavory would be sound enough to make the implementation of the plan run smoothly. Carson should also work on making black and white statements on what specific files and information should be kept confidential and from whom. Everything should be clear enough for everybody in order to ensure that there would be no excuse when violators are reprimanded. It is not required that Carson becomes tough and authoritarian. She just needs to clear everybody’s stand and the extent of their authorities. It is also not necessary for Carson to prevent the employees from unionizing. I would argue that unions are important part of a company. Unions can become a leader’s support team especially when these unions could feel that they are being paid enough concern and attention by the management. They would not in any do anything to bring the company down because it would be at their lost. Unions only take steps against the management when they see that their security in the company is threatened. Carson should then focus on working with the management in preparation for the Joint Commission for the accreditation. The politics inside BMH cannot be completely eliminated but Carson can control the situation. The members of the board are assumed well-educated and with that they know what ethical considerations they should prioritize. Meanwhile, Carson should be able to get solid support. Carson should ask for the speedy preparation of the Joint Commission accreditation requirements by eliminating the direct control of Mavory over the process. This can be done by redirecting the attention of Mavory from the accreditation process and the revision of bylaws into her participation in the deliberation of strategic plan Carson is working at. Taking Mavory out of the Joint Commission accreditation will ease up the process and then it would go smoothly without somebody bothering the employees concerned. As with the board members, Carson should start separating their responsibilities. These leaders should be given separate set of concerns that would also keep them from direct intervention with the affairs of each division. For example, one board member should be assigned for managing the service-rendition affairs of the business and each should be given target accomplishments at certain time intervals. The other members can be assigned to direct management of the building facilities and the purchases of equipment and the maintenance of existing ones. The other can be assigned to the legal affairs of BMH. Each should then be reporting to the consultant or referring their plans at time intervals. With this, each member is kept from direct intervention to all the affairs of BMH although as board members, everything should be held transparent to them. This is the very reason why Carson should have regular board meetings for reporting purposes. I believe that it is also beneficial for Carson to hire independent auditors who would be responsible for checking inconsistencies on each division. This would eliminate the fear of each division that the evaluation result will be biased or one is being favored over the other. Transparency should be maintained at all times without the necessity of each member to be personally asking confidential files. As had been mentioned a while ago, when good and efficient leaders are already established, it would necessarily follow that employees’ moral would be uplifted; their loyalty will be brought back as usual to their leaders. Employees who are working with a healthy environment would be productive and thus would render better services than before. It is the excellent services rendered by BMH that enabled it to become profitable and so the quality of services should be kept high in order to gain a good market share.

An Analysis of Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences Essay Example for Free

An Analysis of Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences Essay The purpose of this paper is to explore Howard Gardner’s theory on multiple intelligences. I will focus on spatial and bodily-kinesthetic intelligences and how linguistic intelligence has an underlying effect on the other intelligences. Spatial and bodily-kinesthetic intelligences would seem to be very distant from linguistic intelligence, however I believe that they are more similar then one might expect. Spatial intelligence can be loosely defined as the ability to manipulate and recreated the physical work in ones mind. Artists often use this intelligence as they take an actual object and are able to manipulate it onto a canvas or piece of paper. Many IQ tests have a section that tests the ability of a person in their use of block design. Students who excel in spatial intelligence have the ability to recreate within their mind the things that they see visually. Gardner states, â€Å"The left hemisphere of the brain has, over the course of evolution, been selected as the pre-eminent site for linguistic processing, the right hemisphere of the brain, and in particular the posterior portions of the right hemisphere, proves to be the site most crucial for special processing† (Gardner, p. 181). Gardner is trying to show how separate in the brain spatial and linguistic intelligence really are. By isolating the intelligences, Gardner focuses on the idea of savants and brain damage to prove his theory that the intelligences are totally separate. Eliminating part of the brain would still allow for someone to be successful and intelligent at spatial abilities. His idea is that even if a person lost their ability to speak or the ability to use their hands, that their other intelligences could possibly still work at a high level. I agree with his theory, however I think the intelligences overlap more then he may believe. Linguistic intelligence seems to have a basis in spatial intelligence also. Many students might do just fine being able to read a word problem and then form the design in their head. Gardner gives an example, â€Å"Take a square piece of paper, fold it in one half, then fold it twice again in half. How many squares exist after this final fold? † (Gardner, p. 171). This idea shows how linguistic intelligence can be used when dealing with a student who has a greater spatial intelligence. Even without the student physically being able to fold the piece of paper they could still solve the problem due to their linguistic intelligence. Gardner shows this idea as he talks about people having distinct separate intelligences, but that each intelligence has the ability to overlap with another. I also decided to talk about his theory of bodily-kinesthetic intelligence because I feel this intelligence goes together well with spatial intelligence. Both of these intelligences are educated best by going away from the traditional teaching methods of reading and writing. Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence is the ability for a person to use their body to solve a problem. This can be seen in many athletes and other people who are very active. Some people are born with a higher bodily-kinesthetic intelligence then others. Tests on reaction time have shown that some people are born with almost superhuman reaction time ability. This reaction time allows them to hit a baseball with such success that cannot be taught. Parts of this intelligence can be learned by studying similar to some of the more the academic intelligences, however bodily-kinesthetic intelligence is not viewed as an academic intelligence. Wayne Gretzky said, â€Å"Nine out of ten people think what I do is instinct†¦. It isn’t. Nobody would ever say a doctor had learned had profession by instinct: yet in my own way I’ve spent almost as much time studying hockey as a med student puts in studying medicine† (Gardner, p. 231). Both a hockey player and a surgeon rely on their body to perform at a high level. Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence is just not brute force but the ability to read what is happening, and then adapt. In football, a player will tackle another player, although before that happens the tackling player must read the play to get a path take on the ball carrier. A surgeon can have perfect skills in using their hands to operate but they also need the ability to learn the correct procedures. These ideas show that a person can be above average in more then one intelligence and that is in fact fairly common. The traditional way of teaching is through reading and writing that puts an emphasis on linguistic intelligence. Gardner’s theory is to separate the intelligences by showing that even a person who loses the ability to use part of their brain will still be able to function at a high level at some other intelligences. Gardner points out that he believes the intelligences are separate, but that they rarely operate separately and more often then not there are several intelligences working together. This is how linguistic intelligence is so important to the overall learning of a student. Most tests such as IQ tests put an emphasis on how well a person does on verbal section of the test. Gardner said, â€Å"I have already noted that many retarded children display a surprising ability to master language†¦ Even more striking are those rare children who, despite retardation or autism, prove able to read at an astonishingly early age† (Gardner, p. 84-85). This is apparent when talking about a surgeon who loses the ability to use their hands and so they cannot operate on patients anymore. They may not have the ability to physically do the operation anymore but they can still instruct someone else to do the surgery. This surgeon has lost their ability to use their hands but their brain is still intact so they can use their linguistic intelligence to instruct another person to perform the operation. Gardner does not think linguistic intelligence is more important than any of the other intelligences, but I believe that linguistic intelligence sets the basis for the other intelligences. Without this intelligence the student will not be able to understand what that teacher is trying to convey in class. Language is important for the student to get through school, however a student could get though school without fully realizing their full spatial intelligence. Linguistic intelligence allows a student to gain the ability to study the concepts and then apply them to the other intelligences such as bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. One cannot expect someone to just learn all the intricate details of boxing and then to go into the ring and win a title. This can only happen with some intelligence that is born within the person. Intelligences are within everyone but it is hard for a person to know exactly what intelligence they posses the strongest. Howard Gardner’s idea of multiple intelligences stems from his belief that each person has different intelligences that they posses. These intelligences are inherently separate due to the fact that because of brain damage, a person can lose an intelligence while still being able to perform at a high level on other intelligences. Gardner does not believe that linguistic intelligence is more important then the others, however in our society we put such a great emphasis on linguistic intelligence. A student can fall behind in their linguistic development and due to our societies testing and basis in teaching the student might not attain high grades. This does not mean the student is not smart, it just means that they might excel at a different type of intelligence. Overall, Gardner explains how each person has many different forms of intelligence that they could be above average in. An Analysis of Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. (2017, Jan 05).

Product Innovation and Pricing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Product Innovation and Pricing - Essay Example The camera has an automatic mode which will enable reasonable quality photographs by even people with minimal knowledge of the subject. The price at less than $300 is attractive by market conditions. Here is a camera for the amateur photographer which is easy to carry and to use, with the potential to take sharp and good quality photographs with simplicity. The camera is clearly on the upper right quadrant of a VO Grid, and has the potential to participate aggressively in the emergent mass market for basic digital cameras for amateur use. The Canon Power Shot S3 is a study in contrast with the earlier model. It meets the special needs of photography enthusiasts and professionals who may wish to take sharp photographs of objects and people at long distances. The technical features and capabilities of this product sacrifice convenience almost entirely because it is large enough to require a case of its own and would need to be slung around the user's neck. It can draw attention in a social situation which many people would not like. However, it does offer physical evidence of the user being a photography enthusiast or even a professional. This camera cost about $500, which means that only those committed to regular and specialized use would be willing to make purchase decisions in its favor. The major value proposition is the 12x zoom which a relatively small niche of people may value. It offers high value for a certain target, but would not be of interest to most consumers. The Canon Power Shot A 540 has 3 direct competitors: the Casio Exilim EX-Z850, the Fujifilm FinePix F 10, and the Sony Cyber Shot DSC-T9. The relative inconvenience of conventional film cameras implies that the indirect competition is not serious. The high resolution and high portability of these cameras place them in a category distinct from video cameras. The market segment of amateurs, who need a convenient and easy solution for occasional photographs, is adequately met by these four brands to compete adequately with each other as a set. The Fujifilm presents a strong challenge with a price tag just below $200. It is an important benefit for the company to promote and has the potential to hit its 3 competitors hard. The Sony, with a 58 MB memory, has a key advantage of being able to store significantly more images than any of the competitors. Running out of memory can be a common problem on any occasion, and it may not always be possible to transfer records to storage media at frequent intervals. The Sony therefore offers a value parameter that the competition cannot match, hence Sony should be able to use this feature to gain market share. The Casio, with 8.1 Mega Pixels can offer large prints of excellent resolution, but most people who would value this feature may opt for more professional cameras. However, there is scope for Casio to add plenty of service (Payne, 2002) by way of creating awareness of the advantages of large prints, in order to create new demand for its product. 8.1 Mega Pixels at less than 5 oz weight is a combination with value potential for customers, but the company will have to work towards generating demand. The Canon is a kind of compromise, offering a balance of the features of its competitors. Competitive Pricing It is entirely legal for a restaurant owner to copy the price of a generic dish from a competitor, as long as he or she