Formal and Informal Communication in an Organization Essay

* Formal communication channels, follows the chain of command and is recognized as official. One way to view formal communication within organizations. * Vertical communication is the flow of information both up and down the chain of command. It involves an exchange of messages between two or more levels in the organization. When top-level managers make decisions, create strategic plans, convey directions, and so forth, they are often communicating downward. Downward communication flows from individuals in higher levels of the organization to those in lower levels. The most common forms of downward communication are meetings, official’s memos, policy statements, procedure manuals, information needed to conduct work, and company publications. Information sent downward may include new company goals, job instructions, procedures, and feedback on performance. Studies show that only 20% of an intended messages sent by top-level management is intact by the time it reaches the entry level performance. This information loss occurs for several reasons. First, managers tend to reply too heavily on written channels an avalanche of written material may cause the overload subordinate to ignore some messages. This is especially true with the glut of information stemming from e-communications. Second, the oral face-to-face message, which commands more attention and can provide immediate feedback, is often underutilized. Managers may e-mail the colleague or subordinate down the hall instead of walking over for a chat. They may e-mail a business client across town instead of picking up the phone. Experts agree that managers often forget that the best way to communicate the richest channel is face to face, with its potential for abundant feedback. Upward communication consists of messages sent up the line from subordinates to managers. Openness to ideas and inputs from people in the lower levels of the organization is often the hallmark of a healthy and enjoyable organization. Effective organizations need upward communication as much as downward communication. People at all levels can and will have ideas for organizational improvement. Plus, managers need to have accurate feedback to properly guide the entire organization. Upward communication from subordinates to managers usually falls into one of the following categories: * Personal reports of performance, problems, or concerns. Reports about others and their performance, problems, or concerns. * Reactions to organizational policies and practices. * Suggestions about what tasks need to be done and how they can be accomplished. This type of communication is frequently sent up only one level in the organization to the person’s immediate supervisor. The supervisor may send some of the information to the next higher level but usually in a modified form. Upward communication is beneficial to both the manager and the subordinate. For the manager, it is often necessary for sound decision making. Upward communication helps managers knows employees’ accomplishments’, problems, and attitudes and allows employees to make suggestions and feel that they are part of the decision making process. In addition, it provides feedback, encourages ongoing two-way communication, and indicates the subordinate, upward communication may provide a release of tensions and a sense of personal worth that may lead to a feeling of commitment to the organization. Achieving effective upward communication getting open and honest messages from employees to management is an especially difficult task. Although suggestion boxes, employees surveys, and open-door policies are often used to encourage upward communication, upper level manager are responsible for responding to messages from lower level employees. If they do not take advantage of this information, the chance to tap into a critical resource is lost. Managers need to act on feedback from subordinates and get back to the individuals who sent it if only to indicate that the suggestion cannot be carried out or that progress is being made about the problem or suggestion. The track record on effectively communicating upward is not especially positive. Even for managers, on average, less than 15% of their communications is to their supervisors. Also, when managers communicate upward, their conversations tend to be shorter than discussions with peers, and they often highlight their accomplishments’ and downplay their mistakes if the mistakes will be looked upon unfavorably. In addition, junior managers are not trained in nor do they seek needed information and pass it upward. As we discussed previously, a trusting relationship is almost a perquisite for effective communication. Trust cannot be mandated by policy or directives. It must be earned by the manager through credible behaviour and communication. Horizontal communication is the flow of information that occurs both within and between departments. Effective organizations encourage horizontal communication because it increases coordination, collaboration, and cooperation. Communication provides a means for members on the same level of an organization to share information without directly involving their supervisors. Examples include the communication that may occur between members of different departments of an organization and between coworkers in the same department. Self-managed teams create situations in which horizontal communication can flourish. In addition, more formal liaison roles may be created to support information flows. These are important to coordinate activities that support the organizational objectives. * Spontaneous communication channels the flows of communication described so far have been part of formal system used to accomplish the work of the organization. In addition to these formal channels, organizations have spontaneous channels of communication. Spontaneous channels communications are casual, opportunistic, and informal communication paths arising from the social relationships that evolve in the organization. They are neither required nor controlled by management. A term often associated with spontaneous channels is the grapevine. The grapevine is an informal method of transmitting information, depicted as the wandering of messages throughout the organization. It typically involves small clusters of people who exchange information in all directions through unsanctioned organizational channels and networks. We refer to this as peer-to-peer conversations. This communication is a useful and important for managers and employees at all levels and is used as much as the company newsletter or employee meetings. Peer-to-peer conversations may be personal, task focused, or organization focused. When people offer thoughts and guidance on personal issues or situations, it is considered personal. These discussions may not relate to strategic objectives, but they do build relationships among coworkers, which ultimately affect culture and communication effectiveness. Conversations may relate to the task. For example, coworkers discuss the day’s assignment or team projects. Or the organization may be the focus with the â€Å"inside† story on changes and company news. These spontaneous communication processes can potentially compete with or complement the formal communication system in the organization. The grapevine can be beneficial. Managers need to at least be aware of the grapevine because it is probably one of the most prevalent and reliable forms of communication. In fact, one well-known study found that approximately 80% of the information transmitted through the grapevine was correct. The remaining 20%, though, can often lead to serious trouble. As you probably know from your own experience, a story can be mainly true but still be quite misleading because essential facts are omitted or distorted. Information in the spontaneous channels is usually unverified and often includes rumours that are exaggerated and frequently wrong. To help prevent incorrect rumours, managers must keep the information that flows through informal channels accurate and rumours free. To do so, managers should share as much information as possible with employees, tell them of changes far in advance, and encourage employees to ask questions about rumours they heard. To some extent, the spontaneous channels are always present in any organization and are more than just a means of conveying corporate gossip. The information may be less official, but it is no less important for understanding the organization. Despite being pervasive, the grapevine has escaped being directly managed in most companies. Research by Crampton, Dodge, and Jitrendra found that 92% of companies had no policy to deal with the grapevine.

References in This Document to Finale Sports Bar & Grill

finale sportsbar and grill that will deffenitely swit your needs. its deffenetely your plan – helpful and genious. pleasem enter more descriptive title Business Plan For Finale Sports Bar & Grille Executive Summary References in this document to â€Å"Finale Sports Bar & Grill,† â€Å"company,† â€Å"we,† â€Å"us† and â€Å"our† refer to the business of Finale Sports Bar & Grill. Finale Sports Bar is a growing restaurant featuring a variety of boldly flavored, made-to-order menu items. Our restaurants create an inviting neighborhood atmosphere that includes an extensive multi-media system, a full bar and an open layout, which appeals to sports fans and families alike.Our concept offers elements of the quick casual and casual dining restaurant concepts featuring a flexible service model that allows our guests to choose among convenient dining options such as quick casual counter service, casual dining table service or take-out. Our award-winn ing food and inviting atmosphere, combined with our guests’ ability to customize their dining experience, drives guest visits and loyalty. We want to establish our brand through coordinated marketing and operational execution that ensures brand recognition and the quality and consistency of our concept.These efforts include marketing programs, award-winning advertising to support our restaurant. Our concept is further strengthened by our emphasis on operational excellence supported by stringent operating guidelines and comprehensive employee training. Our business goal is to continue to grow and develop the Finale Sports Bar & Grill. To do so, we plan to execute the following †¢ Offer a boldly flavored menu with broad appeal. †¢ Create an inviting, neighborhood atmosphere. †¢ Enable our guests to customize their dining experience. Continue to strengthen the Finale Sports Bar & Grill name. †¢ Focus on operational excellence. †¢ Increase same-store sale s and average unit volumes. Introduction Finale Sports Bar and Grill will strive to be the premier sports theme restaurant in the Sunny County region. This will be the first sports bar in this region. At this sports bar we want our customers to have more fun during their leisure and dining time. The sports bar will provide more televisions with more sporting events than anywhere else in the region.The sports bar will provide state-of-the-art table-top audio control at each table so the customer can listen to the selected program of his or her choice without interference from background noise. The sports bar will combine menu selection, atmosphere, lighting, and service to create a sense of excitement in order to reach our goal of over-all value in a dining and entertainment experience. Finale Sports Bar and Grill will be held privately by a LLC company which will be owned by Jack Johnson to financially back the new business venture.I will still be the principal owner of the bar. In order to start the company I will have to get a loan of an undisclosed amount (not known at this time). This loan will provide start up capital, financing for a building and supplies, pay for permits and licensing, employee training, and anything else that should arise. The expected open date for this bar and grill will be December 10th, 2006. This will give us the opportunity to serve customers for New Year’s and the Super Bowl. Industry Analysis This restaurant industry is very large and sometimes hard to get exact numbers.There are many categories of restaurants so I outlined Services sector and the restaurant industry according to Yahoo finance. â€Å"The nation's 900,000 restaurants should hit $476 billion in sales in 2005, according to the National Restaurant Association's 2005 Restaurant Industry Forecast†. Restaurants employ12. 2 million, this is 9% of the workforce in the United States, and the industry is the largest employer besides government. These numbers include single owner restaurants to the largest franchises in the world. The growth trends for the restaurant industry are forecast to advance 4. 9% in 2005.Analyst predict that the U. S. Restaurant Industry which created, on average, about 270,000 new jobs per year during the last 10 years is on track to add 1. 8 million new jobs during the next 10 years. On a typical day, the industry will post average sales of $1. 3 billion. The industry trends to watch: †¢ Greater use of technology and worker training as a means to boost productivity and efficiency. †¢ Continued increased focus on healthy lifestyles and restaurants providing customers with choices and customization. †¢ Increased upgrades and improvements in decor and becoming environmentally friendly.The sports bar & grill will have to serve several market sectors. We will have a family atmosphere as well as cater to the sports enthusiast. The restaurant will have to serve multiple uses; for example workday lunch , dinner with the family, watching the big game, late-night cravings, and take-out. There will be eating and drink and sports being watched but I plan to have different sections for different dining experiences. There is a wall that divides the bar area from the family (I say family area but this is just a little quieter) area. No matter where you sit there will still be TV’s so you can watch sporting events.The regulatory issues I’ll have to look more closely into are the liqueur licenses, wages for employees, building permits, and any local ordinances that may affect my business. Organization Finale Sports Bar and Grill will be held privately by a LLC company owned by Jack Johnson. The restaurant will be located in the town of Car. Car is great for tourism so a local restaurant should prove to be a good business venture. The restaurant will need to serve several market sectors. It will have a family atmosphere as well as to cater to the sports enthusiast. The restaur ant will have a lunch menu, dinner menu, and the bar menu.The restaurant will also have weekly happy hour drink specials along with lunch and dinner specials. To help save on insurance cost and claims top management will stress safety, stress safety, and stress more safety. Safety starts with the hiring process. The company will be thorough in efforts to screen employees and will consider pre-employment drug tests. This should reduce on the job accidents that lead to insurance claims. The insurances for the restaurant will need to acquire will be workman’s compensation, property & liability, liquor liability, and health insurance.Workman’s compensation covers employees in case of harm attributed to the workplace. The property and liability insurance protects the building from theft, fire, natural disasters, and being sued by a third party. Liquor liability insurance provides coverage for bodily injury or property damage for which the insured may be held liable for cont ributing intoxication to any person. The company will need liquor liability insurance before liquor licenses is granted. Employee health insurance will be provided for the full time employee and will probably be the most expensive.I could not find any actual prices for insurance cost so I went through an online insurance company. So I’m waiting on the price quote for complete insurance cost; I should have it by the end of the day. The restaurant will need to get numerous licenses to operate. They include: †¢ A food service license is required with your  local health department. †¢ A sales tax license is required through the Michigan Department of Treasury. †¢ A liquor licenses filed through the Liquor Control Commission. Restaurants and bars pay $600 a year for a liquor license. An entertainment permit is required with the Liquor Control Commission in addition to the liquor license. †¢ If cigarettes are sold by a vending machine, the restaurant will have to contact the Department of Treasury After sales top $100,000 the restaurant will higher an outside accounting firm to handle the books. We will forecast a sales growth of 10% per year. The company will gain market share because the quality of the meals and the friendly experience. Management/Human Resources At the present time Jack Johnson will run all operations for Finale Sports Bar & Grill.Other key personnel are the assistant management positions, bartenders/hostesses, waiters/waitresses and cooks. There is not expected to be any shortage of qualified and available staff and management from local labor pools in each market area. Benefit plan for full time employees †¢ Health insurance will be provided for all full-time personal. †¢ One paid vacation week after a year of employment. †¢ Three sick days will be provided †¢ 401k option if employee desires †¢ Dental will be on a 60/40 pay program †¢ Education reimbursement will be provided on books on ly Jack Johnson will be the owner and manger of Finale Sports Bar & Grill.His general duties will be to oversee the daily operations of restaurants, inventory and ordering of food, equipment, and supplies and arrange for the routine maintenance and upkeep of the restaurant, its equipment, and facilities. The manager will take a monthly drawl of $2,500 per month. There will be two assistant managers for the restaurant and their duties will be to oversee the personal when the manager is not available. One of the managers will deal mainly with the cooks and the other with the wait staff and bartenders. Each assistant manager will be paid $12. 50 per hour and get the benefit plan.There will be four cooks and each scheduled to work at least forty hours a week. They will have eight hour shifts and get paid $10 per hour. The benefit plan is also provided. The will be three hostess/bartenders, they will be able to do both duties. They will be able to get forty plus hours a week if they desi re. They will get paid $6. 00 per hour and also receive the benefit plan. There will be seven to ten waiters/waitresses on staff. The will also have to clean the table as well as wait on customers. There will be some part time positions and full time positions. They will get paid $2. 5 per hour and whatever there gratuity is. Manage Team Structure Top Manager | | Assistant managers | | | || Cooks Hostess/Bartender Waiters/Waitresses As soon as the restaurant gets past $300,000 in sales an outside accountant will be brought in and will be in charge of the books. Employees will be trained not only in their specific operational duties but in the philosophy and applications of our concept. They will receive extensive information from the managers and be kept informed of the latest information on healthy eating.For process and benchmarking a big emphasis is being placed on extensive research into the quality and integrity of our products. They will constantly be tested for our own high s tandards of freshness and purity. Food costs and inventory control will be handled by our computer system and checked daily by management. Operations The key food suppliers for the business will be Sysco Foods or Gordon Food Service. These two suppliers supply the same goods so the restaurant manager will choose which vendor to do business with. The restaurant will select with the supplier that provides us a store credit, has exceptional elivery times, and has the best overall prices. We will get the office supplies from Office Max or Staples. The rest of the restaurant supplies (pots, pans, silverware, cooking utensils) will come from Atlas Restaurant Supply. The inventory management and order taking and processing will all be done on touch screen monitors placed throughout the restaurant and bar area. We will have to buy the touch monitors and maybe even a couple hand held order entry units. The software the business will use is from Digital Dining, which is the premiere restauran t software. This software can be altered to the businesses needs.The software will include a point of sale menu, inventory control analysis, credit card sales, bar and quick serve menu, office management, and much more. With this software there are so many applications it could do I could write the paper on this alone. We will provide ongoing training programs to assist with customer service and quality control. The training will include preparation of menu items, quality and food portion control, beverage and inventory management, using the software, cleanliness, organization and sanitation standards, marketing and public relations.The facility size the business is looking for is building with a seating capacity of around 100 to 150 people or 25,000 sq. feet. This may sound big but if there is a big sports event we want to pack them in, or people just don’t want to sit next to other people this would give them space to spread out. The business will need to get all the kitche n hardware needed to run a restaurant of this size; this includes stoves, refrigerators, freezers, microwaves, deep fryers, and many other items. We will also have to buy the big screens televisions, audio equipment, arcade games, and the table top monitors with there own audio control.When benchmarking we will compare our business to a larger business in a larger geographic area, mainly Buffalo Wild Wing’s or Applebee’s. The business will measure and compare the number of guest per day, number of meals and drinks served, cost of supplies, and the waste percentage. With all these we should be able to be the premiere bar and grill in Sunny County. Competitive Analysis Finale Sports Bar and Grill is a casual dining restaurant. The geographic area that Finale Bar and Grill will cover is mostly Car and surrounding smaller towns.According to Dun & Bradstreet analysis of businesses located in Sunny County they are classified under SIC code 58, eating and drinking places. Wit h this bar and grill, I hope to move in on the customers traveling to bigger cities for their eating and entertainment needs and in return increasing my market share. There are many small restaurants in the area but none with the sports bar and grill theme (shown in the appendix). The sales for the restaurants in this area range from under $200,000 up to $2. 4 million. The closest sports bar is in Ridges, which is a forty minute drive away.The current restaurants located in Car offer a casual dining experience but with no sports watching entertainment. The top competitor is BW3’s which is in Ridges. BW3’s is a sports bar that offers an extensive menu with chicken products, full bar service, and sporting events on many TV’s. BW3’s has the same target market that I’m trying to furnish to. They have a casual family dining experience and sports bar theme one in one restaurant. I will differentiate myself from BW3’s by offering a full menu select ion, close to home atmosphere, and a dining experience free from stress.BW3’s SWOT analysis will help me to better understand my business, determine my target market, and develop a marketing plan. Strengths †¢ Has name recognition †¢ Offers a chicken filled menu and full bar selection. †¢ Target market is anyone that would like to watch sports in a bar or restaurant atmosphere. †¢ Uses TV and radio commercials to communicate to their markets. †¢ Offer high quality audio and video equipment for their customer viewing and listening pleasures. †¢ Location †¢ Staff Weaknesses †¢ Location is a long driving distance from Car †¢ Offer mainly chicken products, some shrimp, and maybe a couple burgers.Opportunities (for Finale Sports Bar) †¢ Finale Sports Bar could offer a full restaurant menu. †¢ Could take market share away from nightclubs. †¢ Entertainment for children †¢ Family friendly atmosphere †¢ Close locati on Threats (for Finale Sports Bar) †¢ Another sports bar could move into this area. †¢ Fast food chains, people could get their food and watch sports at home. †¢ Increase food prices †¢ Inflation affecting operations for food, labor, and restaurant operating costs. †¢ Keeping trained efficient staff. †¢ Economy- people getting laid off and spending less money eating out.Other competitors of Finale Sports Bar and Grill are fast food chains such as McDonalds, Subway, Burger King, Taco Bell, KFC and Wendy’s. While these are not direct competitors of Finale Sports Bar and Grill because of the different market niche that they operate in, these companies still compete for the same market share of individuals dinning out. And all the fast food companies are within the same geographic area. Marketing Finale Sports Bar & Grill target market is based on serving the sports enthusiast, the business entertainer/owner, tourism, and the local night crowd, as we ll as families dining out.We want a variety of customers and will make sure everybody can enjoy Finale Sports Bar & Grill experience. Finale Sports Bar & Grill is planning on opening on December 10th and having a grand opening on January 10th. The opening date will be a couple weeks before the grand opening and this will allow the employees to become familiar with the operations and customer interaction. The grand opening will be advertised in the local papers and on the radio. Once the newness of the restaurant has subsided, Finale Sports Bar & Grill will pursue an ongoing marketing campaign targeted at the local market. PricingAll menu items are moderately priced. An average customer bill is between $5 and $15 including food and drink. Bills will be considerably larger for game day visitors. Our goal is to keep the customer happy and in the end they will spend more. At Finale Sports Bar & Grill we tend to believe that this is due to us creating an atmosphere that encourages longer stays and more spending but still allows adequate table vacancies due to extended hours of business. Promotional Tools †¢ Advertising o Wall posters advertising specials and menu items o V. I. P. parties available o In-store tour given to every new customer Outdoor message board changed weekly or daily o Grand Opening celebration o Yearly store birthday parties to celebrate the success of each year o Telephone book the business will a large advertisement in the local phone book †¢ Local Store Marketing / Public Relations o School programs – perfect attendance, honor roll, management internships o Local charity carwash site or clothes donation site o Customer raffle for sports jersey’s or gift certificates o Sponsor local softball teams, these will be jersey’s with Finale Sports Bar & Grills name on it. Local Media o Direct mail – containing interior pictures of our restaurant, our prices, â€Å"Theme Nights,† and an explanation of our co ncept o Radio campaign – complete with live remotes in our parking lot. We will pick the three top local stations with which to place our short and catchy ads. We will also sponsor radio call-in contests with free meal coupons to Finale Sports Bar and Grill as the prize. We will also make â€Å"live on the air† presentations of our food products to the disk jockeys, hoping to get the promotions broadcasted to the listening audience. Newspaper campaign – placing several large ads throughout the month to explain our concept to the local area o Cable TV – will be a possibility if we can secure favorable rates with enough frequency. o Restaurant web page – this will give the internet users access to menus, daily specials, weekly promotions, and even placing pick up orders Finale Sports Bar & Grill marketing budget will be a flexible five thousand per quarter. Being flexible in the marketing budget will let the advertisers adjust for different sporting events such as the Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, NBA finals, NASCAR events and the World Series.The marketing budget can be allocated in any way that best suits the time of year as long as there is always a flyer being distributed to the local papers. To monitor how well Finale Sports Bar & Grill is doing we will measure how well the advertising campaign is working. We will take random survey’s of the customer that or in the restaurant. What we would like to know is how the heard of the restaurant and how they like it. In order to get responses to the surveys their will be discounts given to their order.Sample marketing budget (per quarter) Newspaper flyer – $1250 Radio advertisement – $1000 Web Page – $500 Customer raffle – $250 Direct mail – $750 Cable TV – $1250 $5000 The Sales plan for Finale Sports Bar & Grill is train the wait staff to have extra’s added onto the order. The wait staff will be trained on when to ask the custome r if they would like appetizers, deserts or additional menu items. Few things are more important in any business then positive training of staff that leads to productive and profitable results.Simply put – the better the training, the better the service. And in the end the better the service the employees have, the greater the returns on every aspect of your business. Finale Sports Bar and Grill will be committed to maximizing our purchasing power by building lasting relationships with local vendors and companies that will benefit all areas of our business. We will work directly and closely with all related industry contacts to ensure our restaurant the highest quality products and merchandise at best available prices.This will cover all aspects of our business from food & bar purchases to retail and merchandise items, fixtures and equipment. Assumption Page †¢ Organization The cost for insurance FICA = 6. 2%, MCARE = 1. 45%, MESA = 2. 7%, FUTA = 0. 8%. This will equal a payroll tax about 11%. †¢ Management / Human Resources Finale Sports Bar & Grill plans to employee 10 to 20 employees. The hours are 11:00 AM till Midnight, seven days per week. 4 Cooks @ $10/hr, 7 Waitress @ $2. 65/hr, 3 Hostess/Bartender (they can also do other job duties) @ $6. 00/hr, 2 assistant managers @ $12. 0/hr. Open 360 days / year. †¢ Operations The operating expense for each month will include bank payment, supplier payment, utilities and insurance. The bank payment will include cost of the new facility, all equipment, and other operating expenses. The business owner will contribute $25,000. †¢ Marketing There will be a marketing budget of $5000 per quarter. There will be extra marketing money for the grand opening celebration. The amount of the financing needed from the bank will be approximately $300,000. This will be repaid over the next 10 years at $3,350 per month.

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Tyrrells Crisp Business - Essay Example And for there to be success with customers or Market, there has to be a clear competitive advantage. A competitive advantage is an advantage over competitors gained by offering consumers greater value, either by means of lower prices or by providing greater benefits and service that justifies higher prices.2 What are the strategies which provide this competitive advantage Following on from his work analyzing the competitive forces in an industry, Michael Porter suggested four "generic" business strategies that could be adopted in order to gain competitive advantage. The four strategies relate to the extent to which the scope of a businesses activities are narrow versus broad and the extent to which a business seeks to differentiate its products The differentiation and cost leadership strategies seek competitive advantage in a broad range of market or industry segments. By contrast, the differentiation focus and cost focus strategies are adopted in a narrow market or industry. We will analyze in this case study how Tyrrells utilized each of these business strategies to gain a competitive advantage. Strategy 1, Differentiation: This strategy involves selecting one or more criteria used by buyers in a market - and then positioning the business uniquely to meet those criteria. This strategy is usually associated with charging a premium price for the product - often to reflect the higher production costs and extra value-added features provided for the consumer. Differentiation is about charging a premium price that more than covers the additional production costs, and about giving customers clear reasons to prefer the product over other, less differentiated products. Now how are Tyrrell's Chips different. In Will Chase's own words "It's not rocket science. We're only chopping up spuds." But there a few differentiating factors which have made a very strong impact in the customer mind. They are called "chips" to differentiate between the thick-sliced, hand-fried delicacies and the cheap as, crisps alternative. But it is more than that It's not just the quality, the packaging, or the story. It is all of them combined .The Tyrrells story - from field to fryer in the same day - has found an audience in the small but growing number of consumers who want to know the provenance of their food and are willing to pay 85p for a packet for the freshness. Tyrrells uses its own produce and bans additives or pesticides. Rather than rinsing out the starch, the company fries fat slices in sunflower oil for an "all natural" snack. Its 12 flavors - from the no-salt Naked Chips to Smoked Salmon Horseradish and Capers - do not contain GM ingredients. Tyrrells aims to be certified organic in 20 months' time. All of these things create a Niche market of Customers who want fresh environmentally friendly and healthy snack. Strategy2 - Cost Leadership: With this strategy, the objective is to become the lowest-cost producer in the industry. Many market segments in the industry are supplied with the emphasis placed minimizing costs. If the achieved selling price can at least equal the average for the market, then the lowest-cost producer will enjoy the best profits. This strategy is usually associated with large-scale businesses offering "standard" products with relatively little differentiation that are

Growing a business strategy for Coffee Angel Coursework

Growing a business strategy for Coffee Angel - Coursework Example Chris is of Turkish background and the business is family owned. The business was started in collaboration with his family who stands by him and supports him in financing the operations of the business. Opening time is 7.30 am on weekdays and opening times being 8: 30 am and 10: 00 am for Saturday and Sunday, respectively, with closing time at 7: 00 pm irrespective of the day of the week. Coffee Angel offers foods including breakfast, sandwiches and rolls, Panini menu, toasts, salads, and wraps, the drinks offered include freshly roasted coffee, milkshakes, smoothies, tea, iced coffee, and flavor. Catering and treats are also offered by Coffee Angel. The aim of strategic analysis is to have a better understanding of the position of the business in the macro environment and make a comparison with the competitors in the industry the firm is operating. An analysis of the Coffee Angel requires an understanding of the environment to be able to know the strategic capabilities of the firm. PESTLE is an acronym for political, economic, sociological, technological, environmental, and legal and is a useful tool for the analysis of the macro environment where a business operates. PESTLE is a tool for the generation of an understanding on the relation of the firm to the external environment. The main reasons for PESTLE analysis is that it is relevant in decision making as it informs the management on the situation of the firm in relation to the external environment. This part details the impact of political actions on the external environment of Angel Coffee. Government policies would have an impact on the functionality of Angel Coffee in some ways including laws on minimum wages that has recently been passed will influence Angel Coffee and rumors of further increase affect the company. Food safety controls by the government affect the performance of food

Resource Directory Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Resource Directory - Coursework Example Sonya Stanton is the university student academic advisor who provides students with academic advices. He can be contacted through sstanton@argosy.edu. Solutions within this regard are found in 214.459.2203. Karen Wilkerson is the Student Finance Associate Director of Student Finance, and he provides advices regarding disbursement of loans among other financial issues. He can be contacted via kwilkerson@argosy.edu. Solutions within this regard are found in 214.459.2215 (Class Template, 01). The university administration also helps students in changing their personal information or contact. These changes also engulf changes in marital status. Brigit Mattix is the Director of Student Services who helps in ironing students’ personal information issues, and he can be contacted through bmattix@argosy.edu. Solutions within this regard are found in 214.459.2244 (Class Template, 01). Dallas University is an academic institution; thus, students may sometimes need to access library personnel or some academic materials. Jennifer Hostutler is the Learner Support Specialist, and she handles Library and Academic Resource Center; therefore, students with literacy information needs can contact her through jhostutler@argosy.edu. Solutions in the information literacy are found in 214.459.2215. Finally, most of the information in the university is in technology form; thus, students with problems of accessing online information including class site and email should contact the Tech nology support team through campus_support@argosy.edu. Technology problems’ solutions are found in 1.866.848.0776 (Class Template,

Network Security Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Network Security - Research Paper Example Network Security Introduction: Network security is a fairly confusing and complicated subject that has historically been tackled only by experts and experienced professionals. Nonetheless, increased wiring among people in the networked world has increased the need for people to perceive and master the fundamentals of security. This paper has been written with the basic information systems manager and computer user into focus so that they may acquire sufficient knowledge to hype in the market, identify potential threats and to tackle them appropriately. First, a bit of networking history is discussed. This discussion is followed by the introduction to internetworking as well as TCP/IP. Later, risk management, firewalls, and potential network threats will be discussed in order to elaborate the purpose of secure networking tools and devices. This paper is intended to lend the audience a broad perspective of the network security in general, and a sense to identify, manage and reduce risk s both at home and the workplace in particular. In order to sufficiently comprehend the rules and traits of network security, it is imperative that an individual has some basic knowledge of computer networks. Therefore, it is customary to briefly discuss the foundations of computer networking before moving over to the popular networks and their security. What is a Network? A network may be defined as a set in which lines that resemble a net interlink with one another. It is essentially a system of interconnected lines. Like any network, a network of computer essentially has many computers interlinked with one another. There are numerous ways to interconnect the computers. There are seven layers of communications types with interfaces according to the Reference Model of the International Standards Organization (ISO) / Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) as shown in the figure below: â€Å"The ISO/OSI Reference Model† (Curtin, 1997). Each layer is dependent upon the services of the immediately lower layer. This pattern follows until one gets on the lowest layer of physical network. This can be best understood by drawing a comparison between this model and something of everyday use like a telephone. A telephone is the means of transmittal of message between two people when they are sufficiently away to be out of each other’s earshot. Same happens at the application layer of the ISO/OSI model. The telephones serve the purpose by converting the sound into electronic pulses which may be transmitted back and forth through the wire. Layers underneath the application layer serve the very purpose. Both sets of the telephone need to be connected into a switch which is an essential component of the network of switches of the telephone system. In order to make a call, an individual needs to pick the receiver up and dial the desired extension or number. This number indicates the central office which the request goes to so that a phone from that office rings up. Th e individual at the other end picks up the receiver and the conversation begins. Computer networks have a similar way to function. Some Popular Networks: A lot of networks have been identified and employed over the last 2.5 decades or more. In this paper, two of them will be looked into. Both of the networks are public networks, that essentially means that either of them can be connected by anyone. People can

The Flow of Energy Essay Example for Free

The Flow of Energy Essay Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. This is what the law of conservation of energy states. In our environment, energy flows in one form to another through the different natural processes. In ecosystems, some energy is converted into nutrients, which is then passed from one organism to another. The model used to show the transfer of energy and nutrient from one organism to another is called food chain. Sunlight is the main source of energy here on earth. Energy from sunlight, called solar energy, is converted into chemical energy by plants through a process called photosynthesis. Plants also make use of nutrients found in the soil to produce their food. That plants are able to produce their own food is why they are called the producers in the food chain. Animals cannot make their own food and get the energy and nutrients they require from eating plants or other animals. Hence, they are called consumers. Animals that eat only plants are called herbivores; animals that eat only other animals are called carnivores; and animals that eat both plants and other animals are called omnivores. In the food chain, animals that feed on plants are the first level consumers and animals that feed on them are the second level of consumers. There can be up to three to four levels of consumers in the food chain, after which decomposers, such as worms, bacteria and fungi, break down the wastes and dead organisms as their food source and return nutrients back into the soil. Energy transferred through the food chain does not have a fixed amount. Producers, for example, only converts about three percent of the energy absorbed from the sun into chemical energy. The actual energy and nutrient transferred from one organism to another gets lower with each transfer. In general, only â€Å"about ten percent of the energy from one level of a food chain makes it to the next† (KEEP, n. p. ). The energy and nutrients, however, are not lost with each transfer. It is just that organisms are unable to â€Å"digest† all nutrients from what they eat. The undigested nutrients are excreted as wastes. Organisms may also have used some of the energy they received, by converting chemical energy into mechanical energy in cases of animals, and are unable to transfer all of the energy to the next level in the food chain. The energies used by animals are eventually converted into heat energy. Works Cited â€Å"Energy flow in ecosystems. † 2002. Energy through our lives. K-12 Energy Education Program (KEEP), University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. 7 July, 2008. http://www. uwsp. edu/cnr/WCEE/keep/Mod1/Flow/foodchains. htm

Evaluation of Sigmund Feud and his theory

Evaluation of Sigmund Feud and his theory Sigmund Freud may have pioneered psychoanalysis and initiated interest in behavioral patterns, but some of his concepts/theories are controversial. Sigmund Freud is one of the well know scientist of his time in the area of psychology, he is intentionally referred to as the godfather of psychology. Freud was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, who created an entirely new approach to the understanding of the human personality. He is regarded as one of the most influential and controversial minds of the 20th century. Sigismund (later changed to Sigmund) Freud was born on the 6 May 1856 in Freiberg, Moravia (now Pribor in the Czech Republic). His father was a merchant. The family moved to Leipzig and then settled in Vienna, where Freud was educated. Freuds family was Jewish but was himself non-practicing. In 1873, Freud began to study medicine at the University of Vienna. After graduating, he worked at the Vienna General Hospital. He collaborated with Josef Breuer in treating hysteria by the recall of painful experiences under hypnosis. In 1885 Freud went to Paris as a student of the neurologist Jean Charcot. On his return to Vienna the following year, Freud set up his private practice, specializing in nervous and brain disorders. The same year he married Martha Bernays, with whom he had six children. Freud developed the theory that humans have an unconscious in which sexual and aggressive impulses are in perpetual conflict for supremacy with the defenses against them. In 1897, he began an intensive analysis of himself. In 1900, his major work The Interpretation of Dreams was published in which Freud analyzed dreams in terms of unconscious desires and experiences. In 1902, Freud was appointed professor of neuropathology at the University of Vienna, a post he held until 1938. Although the medical establishment disagreed with many of his theories, a group of pupils and followers began to gather around Freud. In 1910, the Intentional Psychoanalytic Association was founded with Carl Jung, a close associate of Freuds, as the president. Jung later broke with Freud and developed his own theories. After world war one, Freud spend less time in clinical observation and concentrated on the application of his theories to art, literature, and anthropology. In 1923, he published The Ego and the Id, which suggested a new structural model of the mind, divided into the Id, the Ego, and the Superego. In 1933, the Nazis publicly burnt a number of Freuds books. In 1938 shortly after the Nazis annexed Austria, Freud left Vienna for London with his wife and daughter Anna. Freud was diagnosed with cancer of the jaw in 1923, and underwent more than 30 operations. He died of cancer on 23rd September 1939. (http://bbc.com.uk/history./freud_sigmund.shtml) Freud studied hysteria at length, and became involve with Josef Breuer. Dr. Breuer became Freud mentor, and together they co-authored a book on hysteria. It was during these studies that Freud came to realize that the personality was made up of having three aspects the id, ego, and super ego, (Krogh, D.). The id is the part of personality that is responsible for survival and self gratification, it is our primitive mind. It is the source of our libido and has only one rule, satisfying the pleasure principles, (Gay, P.). The ego deals with our rational thought, it develops our growing awareness that you cannot always get what you want. It has a tough job compromising negotiation between the id and the super ego. It pleases the id but also remains responsible and bears the long term consequences in mind. The super ego is the last part of the mind to develop. It is best described as the moral of personality. The super ego has two sub systems, those been the ego ideal and conscience. The ego ideal lays down the laws regarding positive behavior and standards which the ego must live up to. The conscience are the sets of rules which define deviant behavior, it houses thoughts and behaviors that would result in punishment if they were to be acted out. Freud was also responsible for defining the five stages of psychosexual development, which are briefly explained below. Stage One: The oral stage, (0-18 months). During this stage, the physical focus is on the mouth. The young child receives libidinal pleasures while feeding. Any problems at this stage, for example, over indulgence or privation could lead the child to an oral personality in adulthood suggesting, that the adult would partake in extensive oral activities e.g. smoking, drinking, or eating disorders, (Gay, P.). Stage two: The anal stage (18-36 months). Freud believed that the child experienced erogenous pleasure while defecating. Potty training takes place round about this time, so that the child had to learn control over its bowels. Also the caregiver puts emphasis on the child to control urges regarding deviant behavior (often called the terrible twos). If the caregiver is too controlling the child is likely to grow to have a retentive personality e.g. the adult will have rigid thought complexes, be overly organized, and obsessed with neatness. On the other hand, if the caregiver is not controlling enough, the child will grow up to be messy, untidy and could possibly be defiant with little self-control, (Feldman, R, F). Stage Three: The phallic stage (3-6 years).The physical focus at this stage for both boys and girls is the penis boys wonder why girls havent got one. In return, girls start noticing that they are without one and become curious. Also during this stage, Freud suggested that children have sexual feelings for the opposite sexed parent, (so they deal with Oedipus and Electra complexes respectively). Boys experience castrations anxiety and girls suffer penis envy (the lack of). Fixation at this stage could result in promiscuity and immoral behavior, (Feldman, R,F.). Stage four: The latency stage,(6 years to the onset of puberty). This is a calm period where virtually no psychosexual conflicts are taking place. Boys and girls tend to be gender aware thorough this stage and have little in common with the opposite sex, (Feldman, R.F.). Stage five: The genital stage (post puberty). If all transitions of the above stages have been smooth and the caregiver has responded in a relevant well balanced manner. A healthy competent adult should emerge, fully equipped to contribute to society emotionally, and physically. If on the other hand, one or more of the transitions have been impaired, a fixation of the impaired stage will occur. Stress will trigger the adult to regress to the particular impaired stage in question, (Feldman, R,F). As straight forward and relevant as Freuds theories were, he was not without criticism , Carl Jung, Karl Krus et al, and T.S. Szasz are among a few who strongly object to Freuds findings (Robinson, P. Feud and his critics). Could they have a point? For all Freuds genius, he failed to incorporate genetic influences regarding behavior in his studies. Freud dealt only in the unconscious mind, with a few age related triggers thrown in, and that our whole personality is based on the development of these triggers. These triggers were purely Freuds interpretation. Behavior on the other hand, deals solely with environmental factors, and believes that babies are born as a blank slate, often termed tabula rassa Freud is also accused of been totally subjective and having a bias attitude. An example of this would be that he based all his findings on his recollections and findings (Robinson, P. Freud and his critics). He did conduct research using his youngest daughter Anna, but this form of opportunity sampling is not productive, because being his daughter, she would strive to produce socially desirable answers. When conducting psychoanalysis, Freuds patients were always middle class women. This was not a representative samples of the population, the data collected from his analysis would again be bias. Other arguments against the proficiency of Freuds practices are that due to patient Problems occurring in childhood, this may result in parental blame. There are also problems surrounding false memory syndromes, it has been found that patients receiving Freudian analysis have imagined childhood abuse. These allegations could be imagined and have no facts, (Robinson, P. Freud and his critics). Also the whole model of psychoanalysis is non-scientific, it cannot be falsified. So there we have it, the basic from which Freud conducted his psychoanalysis. In its day it was a revolution but certainly not without opposition, as previously discussed Freud managed to put words, terms, and phases to complex notions regarding personality and unravel almost simplify intricate developmental processes, enabling Freudian psychologists to accurately define and hopefully rectify a patients regressed emotional problems. Was Feud practicing a pseudo-science? Are his findings mere quackery? Were his theories on psychoanalysis a revolutionary breakthrough? Either way people will remain divided.

Asian American Essay -- essays research papers

The American Community in the 1900’s to the 1920’s was in fact a totally different generation than its successor not only because of cultural and economic reasons but also because of world events and the rise of technology. Americans in the early 1900’s were a closely knit generation with a sense of community, morals, and obligations. They had an "instilled" set of ideals and values and their lives were very much affected by the rise of technology. Living in America in the early part of the 1900’s was a hard and trying era through such turbulent times as the Great Depression, World War I, and the Industrial Revolution. Such profound and important events happened in a relatively short amount of time. Americans were searching for an identity for their country which was still only less than 200 years old. Big Industry was on the rise slowly and Americans were starting to contend in the growing world market. Throughout American history, people have fought for equality in any shape or form and the mid 1900’s was no exception. Having gone through leaps and bounds in terms of civil rights. The 1920’s to the 1940’s was a transitional period for all Americans and minority groups. During this period of American history, America was one of the most modern countries in the world but still...

tyger :: essays research papers

The Tyger In the poem the tyger William Blake shows a lot of symbolism, imagery, and irony. He likes to explain to his audience how he writes with all the knowledge he knows. Reading this poem makes me think of how a person feels when he is taken advantage of at work. Like when ones work is difficult to cope with, suffering, and pain is all that is left. It seems to that in the end all the pain endured happens to what is left for this person and suffering is what hurts the most. William Blake shows symbolism in this part of the poem, â€Å" In the forest of the night,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. (line 2). This part shows that you can be trapped from your work or even your life. â€Å" what immortal hand or eye could frame thy fearful symmetry?’† ( line 3-4). This part shows how much struggle he has in his life and all the pain he feels in his life. â€Å" in what distant deeps or skies burnt the fire of thine eyes.† (line 5-6). He shows his emotions and how much anger that was built up in his heart. He feels like crying because he is frustrated. â€Å"What the hammer? What the chain†. ( line 13). This shows that his been treated like a slave and has endured what slaves endued like working on the rail roads. â€Å"When the stars threw down their spears, and watered with their tears, (lines 17-8). Shows that he has mellowed down and is ready to accept all that has happen to him. â€Å"Did he smile his work to see? Did he who made the lamb make thee? â€Å"( lines 19-20). He is talking to god and its bringing out his emotions. Asking for forgiveness and wants to be treated normal in his life.† Tyger! Tyger! Burning bright in the forest of the night,† ( lines 21-22). This phrase started in the beginning and ended at the end. Its because it’s the true meaning behind the whole poem no matter what you do or how hard you work there is always something that gonna take you down. throughout the poem I have seen a lot of Irony and symbolism. The parts that I chose from the poem brings out a lot of pain, suffering, hard work. tyger :: essays research papers The Tyger In the poem the tyger William Blake shows a lot of symbolism, imagery, and irony. He likes to explain to his audience how he writes with all the knowledge he knows. Reading this poem makes me think of how a person feels when he is taken advantage of at work. Like when ones work is difficult to cope with, suffering, and pain is all that is left. It seems to that in the end all the pain endured happens to what is left for this person and suffering is what hurts the most. William Blake shows symbolism in this part of the poem, â€Å" In the forest of the night,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. (line 2). This part shows that you can be trapped from your work or even your life. â€Å" what immortal hand or eye could frame thy fearful symmetry?’† ( line 3-4). This part shows how much struggle he has in his life and all the pain he feels in his life. â€Å" in what distant deeps or skies burnt the fire of thine eyes.† (line 5-6). He shows his emotions and how much anger that was built up in his heart. He feels like crying because he is frustrated. â€Å"What the hammer? What the chain†. ( line 13). This shows that his been treated like a slave and has endured what slaves endued like working on the rail roads. â€Å"When the stars threw down their spears, and watered with their tears, (lines 17-8). Shows that he has mellowed down and is ready to accept all that has happen to him. â€Å"Did he smile his work to see? Did he who made the lamb make thee? â€Å"( lines 19-20). He is talking to god and its bringing out his emotions. Asking for forgiveness and wants to be treated normal in his life.† Tyger! Tyger! Burning bright in the forest of the night,† ( lines 21-22). This phrase started in the beginning and ended at the end. Its because it’s the true meaning behind the whole poem no matter what you do or how hard you work there is always something that gonna take you down. throughout the poem I have seen a lot of Irony and symbolism. The parts that I chose from the poem brings out a lot of pain, suffering, hard work.

Ethical Issues in Nursing

Critical Thinking Critical Thinking Critical Thinking is based on clever thinking that is focused on deciding what to believe or do. Critical thinking is an analytical thinking that’s help in order to solve problems which occur on an everyday basic. Understanding how to figure out a resolution in order to solve a problem is a very great technique in all areas of life. Which is helpful in everyday living, for example school. While attending college I’ll be taking classes in order to become a Register nurse. This gives me an opportunity to use my thinking skills in new ways.Also critical thinking will help me to have a better view and understanding of material and the capability to perform and succeed in classes. Having the knowledge of critical thinking can help in many different careers. As for nursing, critical thinking plays a very important part in your work. Problem solving and decision making are two of the most essential common thinking processes used in nursing. So it’s very important to identify facts and evidence from opinions keeping a open mind while being a creative problem solver.For example, I use to work at this nursing home and we were having issues with not knowing if residents were having bowel movements. My director of nursing was trying to come up with an idea on what to do. That when I got an idea a BM chart! I had to think it out before I presented it to my director. Finally when I had it all fine points I presented it to her and it worked. That made me believe you can success by staying focus and open minded. You have to try new things in order to see what works. If you don’t try it you will never know.Remember to challenge all information unless it provides you with facts and evidences. Ethical Behavior Ethical behavior is a standard I hold for myself honesty and accountability, and how you treat others in all walked of life. Like the golden rule you treat other as you want to be treated. I live by that rule I do people like I want to be done. I feel like you get further in life having a positive attitude toward others. As for me I work in a hospital so that rule really applies. I’m dealing with all kinds of people, sicknesses and even death.This helps me to relate and have a better understanding toward the patients, families and coworker feeling. Even companies have ethical behavior that’s expected of you and what’s not when hiring an employee. Reflection Reflecting back over the steps it took me in order to write this paper. First off I was totally unsure about what I wanted to write, so I then began to think about the word critical thinking and what it means. That’s when I began to jock things down that I wanted to write in my paper. Finally I got me a cup of coffee sat in front of my computer and began typing.Last but not least I’ve been proof reading over and over, adding and subtracting words and sentences until I had my final essay. Quote â€Å" In order to get the most out of life, everyone needs to develop rational life plan that â€Å"would be chosen by him with full deliberative rationality, that is, with full awareness of the relevant facts and after a careful consideration of the consequences. ( Rawls, 1929-2002, p. 13) Reference Boss, A. J. (2012). Think critical thinking and logic skills for everyday (2nd ed. ). New York: New York.

Community Policing

In my opinion to understand the way things are today you must first understand the history and background. So with that being said I would start off the class with the history and background of policing. The modern concept of police was started in London in 1829 by Robert Peel. Robert Peel felt that the law should be responsible up to the prosecution phase but the trial, conviction and punishment phase should be the responsibility of another party. However, Robert Peel’s approach and community policing one thing is the main goal and that’s prevention of crimes. http://voices. yahoo. com/law-enforcement-sir-robert-peels-concept-community-638595. html) I would then go into the times for reform which occurred in the late 1800’s. I would discuss American history which was divided into three eras. These three eras were the political era, the reform era and the community policing era. The political era this occurred from 1840 to 1930. This focused on close ties between police and politicians as well as first emphasis on making politicians happy. Next was the reform era that occurred from 1930 to 1970.This focused on professional crime fighting and arrest were the main focus of police. Then last was community policing from 1970 and is still used today. The focus of this era was partnership between police and the community. (http://www. grossmont. edu/lance. parr/intro4. htm) Community policing and problem solving gives the public an opportunity to work with police in order to prevent crimes. In conclusion our country has continued to follow Robert Peel’s ideas of effective policing. Before policing can be effective the community and the police must work together to make this happen.Peel believed that the police are the people and the people are the police. (http://voices. yahoo. com/law-enforcement-sir-robert-peels-concept-community-638595. html) References: http://voices. yahoo. com/law-enforcement-sir-robert-peels-concept-community-638595 . html http://www. grossmont. edu/lance. parr/intro4. htm Community Policing and Problem Solving by J. Peak 2012 Summarize the three eras of policing (political, reform, and community). Identify and briefly discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each era.Respond in no less than 300 words. The three eras of policing are political, reform and community. Each new era brought forth something different to the police force. In 1844 New York establishes a police force for New York City. Unlike others this police force was different. The city government and politicians had control of the police force even as far as selecting officers. This era was known as the political era. This meant there were close ties between the police force and politicians. The main goal was to make the politicians happy.In 1930 the political era became the reform era. This era focused mainly on the arrest of individuals which meant professional crime fighting. Officers were to enforce the laws and make arrest when ever possible. When bigger problems arose a special type of unit was assigned instead of assigning an officer to a case. During the professional or reform era crime began to rise, fear in people arose, minorities did not receive their treatment by police adequate or equitable, and police began to be in competition with one another.This era was about to end and a new one began. In 1970 a new era began which was known as community policing. This focused on a partnership between police and the community. At this time it was suggested that patrol officers performance would improve by reorganizing the jobs based on the officers. This later became known as team policing. The idea of team policing was to restructure the departments, improve police-community relations, enhance police officer morale, and facilitate change in the police organization.Now with the new era in place a system was developed called COPPS which means Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving. The community and police officers working together to prevent crime is now the culture to many police organizations. I believe that the era that works best for police organizations is the community era this gives police and the community the opportunity to work together to prevent crimes which should be the main focus. (Ken Peak 2003 professor of criminal justice) References: http://www. policechiefmagazine. org/magazine/index. cfm? useaction=display_arch&article_id=1968&issue_id=122009 1. What were the primary findings and recommendations of the Wickersham Commission? What changes resulted from these recommendations? How did the work of O. W. Wilson, August Vollmer, and J. Edgar Hoover further reform policing in this era? Respond in no less than 250 words. President Hoover created the Wickersham Commission because of arguments over prohibition and the citizens’ concerns on crime increased. The Chicago gang wars and the Valentine’s Day Massacre brought on most of the concerns fr om citizens.Hoover’s idea of the Wickersham Commission was to improve the notably ineffective enforcement of prohibition. A list of Wickersham’s conclusions and recommendations was provided to try and ease the concerns of citizens. The commission is opposed to repeal of the eighteenth amendment, to the restoration in any manner of the legalized saloon, to the federal or state governments such as going into the liquor business, to the proposal to modify the National Prohibition Act so as to permit manufacture and sale of light wines and beer.The commission is of opinion that the cooperation of the states is an essential element in the enforcement of the eighteenth amendment and the National Prohibition Act throughout the territory of the United States; that the support of public opinion in the several states is necessary in order to insure such cooperation. The commission is of opinion that prior to the enactment of the Bureau of Prohibition Act, 1927; the agencies for enforcement were badly organized and inadequate; that subsequent to the enactment there has been continued improvement in organization and effort for enforcement.The commission is of opinion that the present organization for enforcement is still inadequate. The commission is of opinion that the federal appropriations for enforcement of the eighteenth amendment should be substantially increased and that the vigorous and better organized efforts which have gone on since the Bureau of Prohibition Act, 1927, should be furthered by certain improvements in the statutes and in the organization, personnel and equipment of enforcement, so as to give enforcement the greatest practicable efficiency.Some of the commissions were not convinced that prohibition under the eighteenth is unenforceable and believe that a further trial should be made with the help of the recommended improvements, and that if after such trial effective enforcement is not secured there should be a revision of the amendme nt. Others of the commission were convinced of the opposite they believed that it has been demonstrated that prohibition under the 18th amendment is unenforceable and that the amendment should be immediately revised.The commissions did agree that if the amendment were to be revised it would read: Removal of the causes of irritation and resentment on the part of the medical profession by: The commission concluded by doing away with the statutory fixing of the amount which may be prescribed and the number of prescriptions, abolition of the requirement of specifying the ailment for which liquor is prescribed upon a blank to go into the public flies; leaving as much as possible to regulation rather than fixing details by statue.The commission also concluded that the removal of the anomalous provisions in section 29, National Prohibition Act, as to cider and fruit juices by making some uniform regulation for a fixed alcoholic content. Increase of the number of agents, storekeepers-gauger s, prohibition investigators, and special agents; increase in the personnel of the Customs Bureau and in the equipment of all enforcement organizations. The commission concluded that the enactment of legislation to prohibit independent denaturing plants.The commission is opposed to legislation allowing more latitude for federal searches and seizures. The commission renews its recommendation of legislation for making procedure in the so-called padlock injunction cases more effective. The commission recommends legislation providing a mode of prosecuting petty offenses in the federal courts and modifying the Increased Penalties Act of 1929, as set forth in the chairman’s letter to the attorney general dated May 23, 1930. The commission met from 1929 to 1930 to work out the kinks in the recommendations and conclusions the final report was issued in 1931.The commission focused a lot on manufacturing and sales of liquor. The commission stated in the report that the eighteenth amend ment should not be repealed but the government should spend more money and effort enforcing prohibition laws. (http://ehistory. osu. edu/osu/mmh/clash/prohibition/Documents/wickershamreport. htm) References: http://ehistory. osu. edu/osu/mmh/clash/prohibition/Documents/wickershamreport. htm http://legal-dictionary. thefreedictionary. com/Wickersham+Commission According to

Assessing ecosystem health Essay

The simple summary of the article is shown below.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Metaphors drawn from human health can be applied in environmental assessment at ecosystem levels; hence the concept of ecosystem medicine may also be appropriate in trying to understand the environment.   By using metaphors one can understand a difficult concept into more known terms since a comparison as to what is common in medicine and in ecosystem. Human use science but they employ art also in appreciating and studying things. As a necessary consequence of using arts or even science   errors in treatment could also happen as there could also be cased of false alarms in diagnosing the environment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   But for a successful application of the medical concepts in ecosystem, there could be a need have a greater-defined taxonomy of ecosystems to afford a better correlations and analysis of the different variables involved in ecosystems. Taxonomy will allow more definitions of technical terms in ecosystems which could be used by scientists and scholars to make a thorough investigation and analysis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The health status of ecosystems in turn could also serve a good barometer to assess the present status or health of the environment. This must be so since the better the ecosystem , the better the environment. Question: 2.    Write a review of Section 1 (p-15: Introduction) and also indicate important points which the author has talked about to be discuss in the paper; any critique; anything missing?   Any important information we get from this section?   Any interesting thing we get from this section, and do we really find it in the following section? The simple introduction is shown below.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The author is saying that whatever the ecosystem now suffers is partly caused by human activity.   He is using a metaphor to convey his message.   That the environment’s health must also be determined like that of a human individual.   Like a human being who is subject to stress, the author illustrates that the ecosystem also suffers from effects of various stresses.   He cited as examples of stresses the following: harvesting, introduction of exotic species, generation of waste residuals, physical restructuring, and even extreme natural events which affect the environment. Question 3.   Write a review of Section 2 (p-16: Ecosystem: a nebulous concept?)   What do we learn from this Section?   What has author tried to communicate and how successful he has been to communicate?   And also indicate the significance of this section related to this article, if you see any critique to this section then write it with a complete logic? Is ecosystem a nebulous concept?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The author is saying that while others my think that term ‘ecosystems’ may be indefinite of meaning   because   of difficulty of delimiting boundaries on the basis of conventional observations.   Ecosystems are not isolated, but intimately connected, or nested within adjacent or larger systems as seen in the continuum from rivers to lakes; from estuaries to the sea; from the sea to the world’s ocean.   The author agrees that for management and assessment, ‘ecosystem’ constitutes a relevant macro-level unit for describing the environment (Rowe, 1961, 1989; Bird & Rapport, 1986).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     The author is very clear in describing the ecosystems as a dynamic, complex, and open systems that are in constant change over ecological, evolutionary, and geological time (Rapport & Regier, 1992), and such they exhibit chameleon-like properties; that is, they might exist in a number of alternative forms, the particular composition being very much influenced by internal dynamics and by interactions with neighboring systems (Holling, 1985; Rapport & Regier, 1992). Question 4.   Write a review of Section 3 (p-16: Towards an Ecosystem Health Model) what do we learn from this Section?   What has author tried to communicate and how successful he has been to communicate?   And also indicate the significance of this section related to this article, if you see any critique to this section then write it with a complete logic? The quest for understanding leads to quest for having health ecosystem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The author is saying that in the quest for a more comprehensive understanding of the process of ecosystem breakdown and recovery, he has come to think that humans are engaged in some form of ecosystem medicine (Rapport et al., 1979).   He said that introducing the medical metaphor suggests that, like physicians, ecosystem practitioners are in need of systematic procedures by which to recognize illness, devise protocols to ‘rule-in’ or ‘rule-out’ possible causes, and prescribe treatment. (Rapport, 1992) (Paraphrasing made)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When it comes to treatment, medicine suggests several options: following internal medicine, ecosystems may be treated by regulating the ‘blood chemistry’ of the system; following surgery, ecosystems may be treated by wholesale physical and biological restructuring.   The latter may involve both removal of undesirable elements and introduction (grafting) of desirable ecosystem components. I should hasten to add that we are concerned here with the application of scientific methodologies developed in medicine in order to assess the state of ecosystem health.   In so doing I neither subscribes to the view that ecosystems can be considered as organisms (for clearly there are not not not not substantive differences in both the mechanisms and degree of integration as well as in the dynamics of these two systems) nor do I suggest.   (Rapport, 1992) (Paraphrasing made) Question 5.   Write a review of Section 4 (p-17: The subjective nature of health assessments) what do we learn from this Section?   What has author tried to communicate and how successful he has been to communicate?   And also indicate the significance of this section related to this article, if you see any critique to this section then write it with a complete logic? Subjectivity is employed in assessing the ecosystem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The author is equating the subjective judgment used in health assessment as to what is being done in assessing the ecosystem.   He said that clearly, in many cases, the diagnosis and treatment of sickness also uses gut feel or hunches in addition to the scientific way..   Inevitably, there enters a degree of subjectivity in evaluating the health status of an individual or an ecosystem. (Rapport, 1992) (Paraphrasing made)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The author mentioned some ecosystem transformations that are made without recourse to societal values or limitations of scientific understanding and cited as example the demise of the forest downwind of a smelter.   Nevertheless, he admits that more frequently   social value-judgments and the limitations of science appear   to mix as a form of art.   The author gave as an example the conversion to plantations of radiata pine (Pinus radiata) of highly diversified indigenous forests in New Zealand, where there are opposing view between conservationists and foresters. (Rapport, 1992) (Paraphrasing made) Question 6.   Write a review of Section 5 (p-18: Early Warning Signs of Pathological Ecosystems) what do we learn from this Section? What has author tried to communicate and how successful he has been to communicate?   And also indicate the significance of this section related to this article, if you see any critique to this section then write it with a complete logic?   (This section should cover all sub sections of the main section, one by one) Early warning signs of pathological ecosystems have obstacles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The author mentioned three obstacles in providing early warning of ecosystem pathology and they are: Firstly, basic processes such as nutrient cycling and primary productivity, is highly cyclical and irregular, varying from year to year, seasonally and diurnally.   Such variability and seemingly random behavior raises havoc with detection of the onset of much pathology that beset aquatic ecosystems. Secondly, early symptoms of ecosystem degradation may be missed or discovered only after pathology is well advanced. Thirdly, false alarms are easily sounded owing to a still far from adequate understanding of the long-term dynamic behavior of ecosystems. Ecosystems have common systems of degradation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Under section 5.1 on â€Å"Health indicators at the ecosystem level,† the  author is discussing the identification of common symptoms of ecosystem degradation.   These common symptoms are termed the ‘ecosystem distress syndrome’ (Rapport et al., 1985) and characterize a large number of ecosystems under stresses of various types.   The author citing Rapport, 1991, said that with reference to aquatic ecosystems, the ecosystem distress syndrome comprises the following symptoms: (1) alteration in biotic community structure to favor smaller forms; (2) reduced species diversity; (3) increased dominance by ‘r’ selected species; (4) increased dominance by exotic species; (5) shortened food-chain length; (6) increased disease prevalence; and (7) reduced population stability. (Rapport, 1992) (Paraphrasing made) Like human diseases, ecosystems have risk factors, too.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Under section 5.2   on â€Å"Ecosystem risk factors,† the author   Ã‚  supports the idea of identification of individuals at risk for certain types of diseases, as those found in coronary disease, which will shift man’s attention from treating illness to prevention.   The author argues that using the same principle of identifying risk in ecosystem, prevention of the ecosystem’s degradation could be prevented. (Rapport, 1992) (Paraphrasing made)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   He believes that this approach works best where a single dominant stress acts to transform ecosystems, such as may occur in the process of eutrophication or acidification of aquatic ecosystems.   He said that much is known about the actions of these two stresses and the vulnerabilities of the recipient aquatic systems (e.g., Minns et al., 1990). He then argued that combining the findings from case studies of impacts of such specific stresses on ecosystems with the knowledge of current stress loadings and sensitivities of recipient ecosystems enables one to arrive at an ecosystem level risk assessment. (Rapport, 1992) (Paraphrasing made)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   He was able to cite the development of various factor analyses similar to the manner in which risks of coronary disease are now assessed in ecosystem health evaluations. He cited the work of Minns et al. (1990) who have examined the impact of acid precipitation on the loss of fish species in vulnerable eastern Canadian lakes. (Rapport, 1992) (Paraphrasing made)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   With these studies the author is really looking forward for the prevention of ecosystem’s degradation. Validation of treatment for ecosystem is a problem, too.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Under section 5.3 on â€Å"Validation of treatment† the author also talks of validation of treatment which is considered the bottom line for medical practitioners. This premised on the idea that once an illness has been diagnosed, the question turns squarely to the most effective treatment. Treatment validation provides a basis for selection among alternative procedures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In applying the medical terminology to the ecosystem, the author said that success rates for a given treatment cannot be evaluated without factoring out the influences of the other stress factors. He cited an example the evaluation of the effectiveness of harvesting regulations on restoring seal populations in the Baltic Sea. He said that it is necessary to take into account impairments to seal reproductive success owing to the presence of PCBs and related toxic substances (Helle et al., 1976). Here, just as in human medicine, he said, â€Å"we have the need to develop methodologies to factor out co-morbidities.†Ã‚   He mentioned the need for a far better taxonomy of ecosystem ills than we presently have. He said that one currently may describe ecosystem pathologies in terms of air pollution damage to forests, eutrophication of aquatic systems, acidification of aquatic and terrestrial systems, etc. but he said that these are very rudimentary categories. He therefore suggested that for each of these classifications there are many finer subdivisions which need to be categorized before one can readily compare case histories. (Rapport, 1992) (Paraphrasing made) Question 7. Write a review of Section 6 (p-21: Reporting on the state of environment from an ecosystem health perspective) what do we learn from this Section? What has author tried to communicate and how successful he has been to communicate? And also indicate the significance of this section related to this article, if you see any critique to this section then write it with a complete logic? Environment could be seen from the health of the ecosystems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The author is trying to make a picture of the environment on the basis of the status of the ecosystem. He cited Canada as having subdivided its land areas into 15 ecozones, defined on the basis of Physiographic, vegetation type, soils/surface materials, climate, and human use. He reported that the forests of most ecozones are impacted by a combination of natural and cultural stresses (particularly in the Montaine Cordillera, Boreal Shield, and Atlantic Maritime ecozones). Included in the stresses is fire, insects and diseases, over-harvesting, conversion of forests to agriculture, construction of transportation and utility corridors, air pollution, and climate-induced stresses such as red belt and wind throw.   He then cited the relationship of increase disease in ecosystems which are more stressed. (Rapport, 1992) (Paraphrasing made)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The author also mentioned that the other sections of the 1986 Canadian State of Environment Report relate to aquatic ecosystems, both the Laurentian Great Lakes and other Inland Waters, as well as the three marine systems (Atlantic, Pacific and Northern). He also cited that the major stresses affecting these ecosystems include: over-harvesting, construction of dams and diversions, contaminants (including toxic substances), and the purposeful or accidental introduction of exotic species (particularly in the Great Lakes and inland waters). Further, in all but the Northern marine ecosystems, land use change (particularly the drainage of wetlands for agricultural and recreational purposes) and sewage inflows added significant additional stress. (Rapport, 1992) (Paraphrasing made) Question 8. What do we understand from the Conclusions written on p-23, are they appropriate; any critique; any thing missed in conclusion; any thing over emphasized. The simple conclusion could be done as shown below.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   We understand from the conclusion that ecosystem behavior under stress is complex and processes leading to degradation and recovery are only partially understood, nonetheless, ecosystem medicine is coming of age at least as a conjectural art. There therefore many challenges along the way. There also a combination of objective and subjective criteria is called into play in rendering judgments as to the health of ecosystems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another thing that   I did understand in the conclusion is that in talking about assessing the ecosystem from a point of view need not involve or borrow concepts from the medical sciences to understand the system but that the author argues that use of the metaphor suggests more systematic approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of ecosystem ills, underscores the importance of validation of remedial action interventions, and draws attention to the inherent subjective nature of health assessments. Further, the metaphor provides a language in which the concern for ecosystem health becomes a natural extension of the concern for individual health The conclusions drawn are appropriate and does not in any way insist that understanding how to manage the ecosystem be necessarily made reference to the medical science field.   It could be made from different points of view and the advantage of using a field of study to bring out the issues via use of metaphor may contribute much to information campaign. Question 9.   Is this article helpful in planning and managing environment, if yes how?   If no, why? What is the relevance of the article in planning and management of the environment?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     I believe this article is helpful in planning and managing environment.   Different persons belong to different professions and different professions have their own languages.   By using metaphor in medicine to discuss ecosystem and the environment, would be getting the member of the medical profession to understand the issues more clearly and to get their support for the cause of the environment Question 10.   Is the title appropriate, if yes WHY?   if no then suggest some other title, and also justify the title with a logical reasoning. How show the article be titled appropriately?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The title evaluating ecosystem health seems not to include treatment on ecosystem treatment.   Since it talks also of treatment the title could be modified as â€Å"Evaluating and Maintaining the Ecosystem’s Health.†Ã‚   By simply saying evaluating it the discussion on treatment should not have been part. Reference: Bird, P. M. & D. J. Rapport, 1986. State of the Environment Report for Canada. Ministry of Supply and Services.263 pp. Helle, E., M. Olsson & S. Jensen, 1976. PCB levels correlated with pathological changes in seal uteri. Ambio 5: 261–263. Holling, C. S., 1985. Resilience of ecosystems local surprise and global change. In: T. F. Malone & J. G. Roederer (eds), In Global Change, pp. 292–317. Cambridge Univ.Press, Cambridge. Minns, C. K., J. E. Moore, D. W. Schindler & M. L. Jones, 1990. Assessing the potential extent of damage to inland lakes in eastern Canada due to acidic deposition. 1V. Predicted impacts on species richness in seven groups of aquatic biota. Can. J. Fish Aquat. Sci. 47: 821–830. Rapport, D. J., & A. M. Friend, 1979. Towards a comprehensive framework for environmental statistics: a stressresponse approach. Statist. Can., Ottawa. Rapport, D. J., & H. A. Regier, 1992. Disturbance and stress effects on ecological systems. In: B. C. Patten & S. E. Rapport, D. J., 1991. Myths in the foundations of economics and ecology. Biol. J. Liimean Soc. 44: 185–202. Rapport, D. J., H. A. Regier & T. C. Hutchinson, 1985. Ecosystem behaviour under stress. Amer. Natur. 125: 617–640. Rapport, D., (1992), Evaluating ecosystem health, Journal of Aquatic Ecosystem Health, M. Munawar (ed.), Assessing Aquatic Ecosystem Health: Rationale, Challenges, and Strategies. KluwerAcademic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands Rowe, J. S., 1961. The level of integration concept and ecology. Ecology 42(2): 420–427. Rowe, J. S., 1989. Implications of the Brundtland Commission Report for Canadian forest management. Forestry

Cumberland Metal Industries

In January of 1980, Cumberland Metal Industries (CMI) had developed a new product for the pile driving industry. Its new pad, made of tightly curled metal, had the potential to break into an industry where little or no innovation was taking place. The CMI product testing showed great efficiency gains over the current standard asbestos product. The existing competition consisted of small firms, few of which had the knowledge or resources to design and develop new products. CMI seemed on the verge of breaking into a new market, where its product would be the technological front-runner. It now needed to show its customers the value its product would provide, and price its new product accordingly. Without any consideration to potential savings realized in the price of the product, the CMI pad provides additional value to the customer in two ways, time and safety. Using asbestos pads, a pile driver was able to drive approximately 150-160 feet per hour. Using the CMI pads, the same pile driver was able to drive 200 feet per hour. Additionally, the CMI pads never went above a temperature of 250oF, which allowed them to be handled almost immediately. This increase in speed and resiliency accounted for a productivity increase of 33% faster driving time. With regards to safety, the CMI pad alleviates any health hazard concerns, which many workers were starting to feel towards the asbestos pads. This in the long run could save the customer significant money in healthcare costs and legal fees, should asbestos be proven to cause health concerns. The primary target market for the CMI pad would be the Engineering/Construction contractors and Independent pile-driving contractors. These two categories would benefit the most from a lower cost alternative to asbestos, as well as from the time and safety efficiencies. The secondary target market would be the Pile Hammer Distributors and Renting companies. This category may be less welcoming to the CMI pads, as the efficiencies realized by the contractors could translate into lost revenues due to fewer pads being needed and equipment being returned early. Part of the promotional aspect of this product launch should focus on the industry subject matter experts, the Pile Hammer Manufacturers, and the Architectural/Consulting Engineers. While these groups would not directly purchase this product, their opinions and specifications would be influential to the target markets. CMI had already submitted its pad for testing to Professor R. Stephen McCormack of Pennsylvania A&M University, who is well respected in the pile-driving field. While his results are not available, early indications are that his findings will be favorable. Should that be the case, CMI should promote these findings to the manufacturers and engineers, and work with them to have the CMI pads legitimized as a viable option within the industry. In deciding where to set the price on the new pads, CMI must first review its manufacturing costs, as well as determine the value its product would bring to its clients. The projected manufacturing costs are outlined in Table 1, with one option showing the costs using existing equipment, and the other showing the costs with a $50,000 investment in new permanent tooling equipment. Table 1 [pic] As is shown in Table 1, the permanent tooling reduces manufacturing costs by 53%. CMI would have to sell 633 units to break even on the initial $50,000 investment, however in my opinion I believe this is well worth it. By lowering its manufacturing costs, CMI can increase its margins, as well as increase its maneuverability with the product price. I will therefore base my pricing decision on the assumption that CMI invested in the permanent tooling equipment. CMI senior management has indicated that they are looking to receive a 50% margin on this product. Therefore, the minimum price option to be considered is $138. 36 per pad. Part of CMI’s product testing included providing the pads to two responsible contractors, Colerick Foundation Company and Fazio Construction, for them to test against the asbestos pads in working conditions. From the Colerick test, we learned that the contractor would have needed 480 asbestos pads, at a total cost of $1,000, to complete the job. In comparison, only 6 CMI pads would have been required. Therefore, in this situation, the exact comparable price per the job costs for a CMI pad to an asbestos pad would be ($1,000/6) $166. 66 per pad. The total number of feet for the job was 15,000, and from the test results we learned that the asbestos pads lasted for 31. 25 feet of pile driving, while the CMI pads lasted for 2,500. This translates into 80 asbestos pads needed for everyone one CMI pad. The average price of an asbestos pad is $3. 00; therefore the value to the contractor of a CMI pad would be (80 x $3) $240. In the Fazio test, the contractor would have used 600 asbestos pads, at a total job cost of $2,000. Again, in comparison, only 5 CMI pads would have been needed. In this instance, the comparable price of a CMI pad would be ($2,000/5) $400 per pad. The total number of feet for this job was 12,000, and from these test results we learned that the asbestos pads lasted for 20 feet of pile driving, while the CMI pads lasted for 2,400. In this example, 120 asbestos pads would be needed for every one CMI pad. The value of a CMI pad to this contractor would be (120 x $3) $360. While these results vary somewhat, they clearly show that the CMI pads last significantly longer than the current asbestos pads. For the purpose of determining price, I will extrapolate from the findings that a CMI pad lasts for 2,500 feet of pile driving, while an asbestos pad last for 25 feet of pile driving. Therefore, the value of one CMI pad to a contractor is comparable to 100 asbestos pads. Given the asbestos price of $3. 00 per pad, the dollar value of a CMI pad to a contractor is $300 per pad. Because CMI is the first to enter the market, with relatively weak competition, and protection from a patent, I recommend a skimming pricing strategy, with a focus on customer value. As a result, I would price the CMI pad at $162 per pad to our distributors, with an MSRP of $270. This would allow the distributors to market the product at a 10% price discount over asbestos, as well as the 33% increase in time productivity, and achieve a 40% margin. Due to the limited initial manufacturing volume of 250 pads per month, I believe the best course of action is to maximize possible revenue on each pad, rather than try for market penetration. The price of $162 would provide CMI a margin of 57. 5%, which exceeds the requirement of senior management, and would allow the company to invest in future research and development, or perhaps an advertising program should it wish to increase market share in the future.