Planning for a Business Start Up

Planning for a Business Start Up Would it be feasible to open an electrical goods store in Thame? Thame is in Oxon (Oxfordshire). Abstract This report examines the business case for a start up business in Thame, Oxfordshire. The business in question is that of an electrical retailer, and the possibilities for both a small, independent enterprise and a large chain multiple are considered here. The report first considers the contemporary economic and retail environment, and then the relevant facts about Thame itself. It then looks at the possible market segmentation associated with the business, and considers some projected cashflow and expenditure models. In conclusion, the report does not foresee any guarantees of success for such a venture in the present climate, although it may be possible to accrue small margins through diversifying the business into e.commerce. Conversely, it may be that forthcoming large scale ventures have better prospects. 1. Introduction. This report examines the business case for starting a new venture in the form of an electrical retailer in Thame, Oxfordshire. It does so with due regard for the contemporary economic and retailing environment, as well as the relative prospects of a small, independent business as against a larger, diversified one. As Groom speculates, ‘A recession can be a smart time to launch a business or innovate, if you can find the money to invest. Competitors are struggling to cut costs and you can look forward to the upturn.’ (1). Liquidity in terms of start up costs, inventory, stock and rents is a key factor for consumer facing businesses, who cannot confidently predict their actual margins in the current climate. As will be discussed below, there are likely to be significant developments in UK electrical retailing sector over the next few years: not even the established multiple chains are assured of retaining their current margins. The one area which may offer smaller players a significant opportunity is e.commerce. As Hooley et al. point out, ‘A significant feature of the Internet is the shift in power away from manufacturers and retailers towards customers. While the period to the middle of the twentieth century saw power concentrated in the hands of manufacturers and suppliersthe customer now typically initiates an information search, whereas in the past the manufacturer or the retailer initiated and controlled this.’ (2) 2. A worthwhile business opportunity? The local/national competition. In the absence of detailed and focused market research data, the business case must be projected from the available circumstantial evidence. We will begin this discussion by looking at the market conditions for electrical goods and UK retailing in general. Both the British Retail Consortium and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors reported worsening trade figures in November 2008, with non-discretionary purchases, i.e. food and drink, the only categories not to be depressed. (3) A recent Bank of England survey reported that Banks are imposing tougher lending standards on loans and credit cards, although interest rate cuts may encourage households to spend money freed off by heaper mortgage repayments. As one analyst observes, ‘Non-food retail sales are driven by real wage growth, credit availability and housing wealth. Since real incomes, after inflation, have been falling for about two years, consumers have dipped into savings, and used remortgaging and credit cards to maintain spending. Things are now reversing.’ (4) A depressed housing market will further impact upon electrical retailing through a lower demand for appliances. The major multiple and discount electrical store chains are suffering from poor sales and margins at present, due to the following factors†¦ Depressed housing markets have resulted in lower sales of refrigerators, washing machines and other white goods. A price war between television manufacturers has depressed profit margins on these goods by 1 per cent in the second half of 2008. Sales of flat-screen TV’s have slowed to the level of white goods. Margins have been further reduced in pre-Christmas price cutting, with rival chains holding sales to reduce stock levels. (5) In specific company terms, this means that Comet’s like for like sales are down 11.6 per cent from 2007, and Kesa, its Anglo-French owned parent company, has suffered a first half loss. Its shares recently suffered an 11.9 pence fall to 142.5 pence, and it is planning to cut costs through redundancies in its UK stores. DSG International, Comet’s closest competitor, has recently scrapped its dividend on the same basis. (6) As a background to this, large format outlets in retail park developments have been contracting, with Comet and Curry’s planning to rationalise their chains. Meanwhile, Tesco and Asda are expanding their non-discretionary and homewares businesses, and Argos is reportedly expanding. DSG have also opened a 60,000 square foot outlet near Birmingham, under the Currys megastore brand. In the long term, there may be competition from completely new entrants, such as Carphone Warehoue, which is currently opening US electrical stores in partnership with Best Buy. ( 7) The Best Buy/Carphone partnership has already projected 200 large consumer electrical stores in Europe by 2013, with 100 of these in the UK. They will be going head to head with Curry’s, Comet and PC World, and projecting sales of  £6.2 billion by 2013. ( 8) This is based on anticipated margins of 5.6 per cent, whereas current incumbents such as Currys and Comet trade on typical margins of 1 per cent. It is planned to achieve this more favourable margin by adopting a ‘know your customer’ approach: as Charles Dunstone puts it, ‘If you go to a lot of electrical stores now, they just keep the rain off the stock, no one there does anything, they don’t display it nicely, if you ask a question they just read the label back to you.’ (9). 3. The Local and Regional Trading Context. Thame is in a relatively affluent area. A detached house in the town is currently valued at an average of  £383,799, with the entry level flat or maisonette costing an average of  £167,994. (10) Council tax is likely to rise in 2009, with a Band ‘D’ tax payer facing an increase of  £3.05. (11) . The area is already well provided with electrical retail outlets. Curry’s has ten stores within a twenty five mile radius of Thame, including three in Reading, two in High Wycombe and two in Aylesbury. There are five Comet electrical stores within the same area : Aylesbury, Oxford (Cowley), Oxford, High Wycombe, and Reading, the closest of which is 8.7 miles away. Tesco and Asda, which both sell household electricals, have stores within an 8 mile radius of Thame: Tesco’s Princes Risborough store is 7.65 miles away, whilst Asda’s Wheatley outlet is only 6.05 miles. DIY outlets such as BQ, who also sell some electrical appliances, also have stores in the area. Thame is listed as having two independent electrical retailers: Thame Audio, of Swan Walk, and Domesco Ltd, in Thame High Street. No trading figures are available for the latter, but in 2008 Thame Audio publicly reported a drop in turnover to  £100,000. (12 ) The local credit situation for new or small enterprises is not encouraging. The proprietor of Thames AV, the independent television and hi-fi store, has recently complained of having his business overdraft interest rate doubled to 8 per cent, with the bank (Barclays) unwilling to extend further credit. (13) This is redolent of the wider national situation: The Federation of Small Businesses indicates that ‘†¦Our members are being refused loans and threatened with overdraft withdrawals unless they agree to new, hiked-up rates. The banks have had their bail-out. They should not pass their problems on to loyal . . . customers.’ (14 ) There are support organisations for new enterprise in the region, including the Oxford Trust, and Oxford Innovation. (15) It must also be borne in mind that the balance of the regulatory framework is unlikely to be tipped towards small retailers in the near future. As one of their Trade Organisation representatives has commented, ‘Having received the recommendations of a detailed and extensive inquiry there is no justification for the government not driving forward the †¦remedy put forward by the†¦competition authorities.’ (16) However, the response from the Office of Fair Trading has so far been unequivocal: ‘It is not for the competition authorities to deny any players in a market opportunities for organic growth†¦out of a perceived need and ability to meet consumer demand.’ (17). In other words, there will be no regulatory leveling of the playing field to encourage or assist small businesses. 4. Market entry prospects and Cash flow Forecast. Deacons and Freely point out that ‘converting an idea into a business opportunity is the key element of the process of business creation†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, simultaneously indicating that a number of elements need to converge: ‘The economic environment has to be conducive, the culture must be appropriate for risk-taking and the nascent entrepreneur must have the confidence to take an idea suggested by opportunities through to fulfilment.’ (18) Whilst not all of these factors are currently present, it is proposed here that small retailers can still take advantage of the untapped capacity in eCommerce. As Hooley et al point out, this market is not homogenous, consisting of highly differentiated segments, i.e. ‘†¦Explorers – highly optimistic and innovative; Pioneers – the innovative but cautious: Skeptics – who need to have the benefits of technology proved to them: Paranoids – those who are insecure about the technology; and Laggar ds – those who will resist the technology†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. (19). In a survey of small retailers, over half said that they were already augmenting their footfall business with trading on the web. All of those who had done so considered the initial outlay had been well invested, and considered that they had already recouped their investment. Whilst none agreed with the idea that the web might eventually supplant their high street business, they all foresaw it playing an increasing role in their margins even those who had not yet started trading on the web. (Appendix 3). Cashflow Forecast. Individuals will not enter the sphere of business start ups on a level playing field, as financial institutions are applying increasingly stringent lending criteria. As Deakins and Freel point out, ‘The importance of human capital tends to be reinforced by external financial institutions, since research has shown that bank managers rate previous experience as an important factor in lending to new-venture entrepreneurs.’ (20) The margins cited above, i.e. those of between 1 and 5 per cent as accepted in the trading of the large electrical multiples, illustrate how difficult it is going to be for a small scale enterprise to expand or even survive in close proximity to them. The cashflow forecast prepared for this study is based on a reasonably well capitalized start up, with only a  £24,000 loan required, and this deferred until the second year of trading, i.e. no repayments due in the first twelve months. It also assumes the trader has personal liquidity of  £500 a month from their existing assets, which they are prepared to commit to the business. The business has a target monthly income of between  £8,000 and  £10,000, seasonally adjusted: taking into account all other income, this would accrue a grand total of  £134.000. (See Appendix 1). Assuming an annual stock inventory of  £96,000, the other major outgoing will be Rent and rates, which are currently high in both the high street and out of town sites, despite vacant lots and falling demand. This will amount to  £14,400 including business rates, and there will also be a  £4,000 start up cost for interactive website design. With nothing factored in for contingencies, a total expected expenditure of  £125,120 is perhaps a little optimistic, and the predicted profit of  £8880 may be reduced to a break even situation. This is not regarded as a bad result in the first year’s trading for an independent retailer. (Appendix 2). 5. Conclusion. Current retail trading conditions are, arguably, not auspicious for any scale of enterprise. However, they are particularly hazardous for the small retailer, and especially one which is relying on any element of credit. There is no guarantee that the latter will be available at all, or that the terms agreed for it will remain unchanged: as has been discussed above, if they do change, it is likely to be in favour of the bank, rather than the other way round. As Deakins and Freel point out, ‘For obvious reasons, little research has been done on new business ventures that subsequently fail, but it is commonly asserted that one of the main reasons for the reported high failure rates of such new ventures is under-capitalization.’ (21). With forthcoming large scale businesses such as Carphone concentrating on creating customer value through service, small businesses will no longer be able to claim any discernible advantage in that respect, unless they can apply to new areas of retailing such as e.commerce. On the positive side, small businesses may derive some advantage from official nervousness about their role in the overall economy. Chancellor Alistair Darling has augmented the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme, and widened the availability of Insurance from the Export Credits Guarantee Department. Stephen Alambritis, who is the head of parliamentary affairs for the Federation of Small Businesses, has indicated that ‘†¦Something’s happened somewhere [in government] that recognises that the real economy is small businesses, and if they don’t get the money and †¦the credit, then we’ll be in a recession.’ (22). With over 13 million people in the UK working in the small business sector, much depends on their sustainability. (23) However, the precise amount of support which might be available to any individual enterprise, such as the one under discussion here, cannot be anticipated. It must also be considered tha t any such support may be ephemeral in nature, and be reflected in higher taxes and lower business allowances when the fiscal books have to be balanced. Overall, the factors uncovered by this report indicate that this is not an appropriate time to open a small independent electrical retail business in Thame. Conversely, it may a propitious time for the kind of audacious, service orientated superstore mooted by Carphone Warehouse. As Blumentritt observes, ‘†¦Because defenders value efficiency and stability in their technology, structure, and organizational routines, they are sensitized to problems associated with innovation (e.g., high cost, risk of failure, threat to the established order)†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (24) If this is true of the existing electrical multiples, Thame may be a promising site for such a venture. Footnotes 1.) Groom, B., ‘A Great Time for New Businesses?’, Financial Times, 18.11.08, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b8fc9ccc-b510-11dd-b780-0000779fd18c.html [viewed 21.12.08] 2.) Hooley, G., Saunders, J., and Piercy, N., (2004), Marketing Strategy and Competitive Position, 3rd Edition, Financial Times/Prentice Hall, p.515. 3.) Cohen, N., ‘Plunge in UK retail sales and home deals’, Financial Times, 11 Nov 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/71a9f746-af7c-11dd-a4bf-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] 4.) Unattributed, ‘UK retail’, Financial Times, 7th Oct 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/d898f024-9447-11dd-953e-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] 5. ) O’Connor, S., ‘The pain in Spain spreads to Kesa’s electrical goods’, Financial Times, 17th December 2008 INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b2777ac0-cbdb-11dd-ba02-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] 6.) Urry, M., ‘Kesa plunges on Comet warning’, Financial Times, 10 Sept 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ae1807ca-7f18-11dd-a3da-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] 7.) Thomas, D., and Rigby, E., ‘Wind of change blows through retail parks’, Financial Times, 17 Oct 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c93c46ae-9c7a-11dd-a42e-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] 8.) Rigby, E., and Parker, A., ‘Best Buy and Carphone detail Europe venture’, Financial Times, 15 Oct 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e2da7750-9a51-11dd-bfe2-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] 9. ) Rigby, E., and Parker, A., ‘Carphone upbeat over ambitious new venture’, Financial Times, 15 Oct 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/fc98369a-9ae8-11dd-a653-000077b07658.html [22.12.08] 10.) Proviser, Thame House Prices, INTERNET, available at http://www.proviser.com/regional/towns/thame/ [viewed 22.12.08] 11.) ThameNews.Net, ‘Council Tax rise likely for 2009’, INTERNET, available at http://www.thamenews.net/readmore.asp?Content_ID=3972 [viewed 22.12.08] 12.) Guthrie, J., ‘Store owner ‘disgusted’ with bank’, Financial Times, 24 Oct 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d30ec254-a163-11dd-82fd-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] 13.) Ibid. 14.) ibid. 15.) O’Connor, S., ‘The pain in Spain spreads to Kesa’s electrical goods’, Financial Times, 17th Dec 2008 INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b2777ac0-cbdb-11dd-ba02-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] 16.) Unattributed, ‘ACS Calls for Political Action’, Association of Convenience Stores Website, INTERNET, available at http://www.acs.org.uk/en/Press_Office/details/index.cfm/obj_id/7082D32C-933E-4313-9CC47A5603AD2C50 [viewed 28.10.08] 17. ) Office of Fair Trading, (2005), Supermarkets: The code of practice and other competition issues. Conclusions. August, OFT807, HMSO, London, p.9. 18.) Deakins, D., and Freel, M., (2006), Entrepreneurship and Small Firms, McGraw Hill, London, p.228). 19.) Hooley, G., Saunders, J., and Piercy, N., (2004), Marketing Strategy and Competitive Position, 3rd Edition, Financial Times/Prentice Hall. p.493 20.) Deakins and Freel, op.cit., p.226. 21.) Ibid. p.229. 22.) Eaglesham, J., ‘Brown sharpens focus on small businesses’, Financial Times, Published 12.10.08, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7566b7c8-9877-11dd-ace3-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] 23.) Wright, W., ‘Dear Chancellor:  £1 billion Small Business Survival Fund’, Federation of Small Businesses Website, INTERNET, available at http://www.fsb.org.uk/frontpage/assets/fsbadvert.pdf [viewed 21.11.08] 24.) Blumentritt, T., and Danis, W.M., ‘Business Strategy Types and Innovative Practices’, Journal of Managerial Issues, Vol. 18, 2006. INTERNET, available at http://www.questia.com/read/5016256465?title=Business%20Strategy%20Types%20and%20Innovative%20Practices [viewed 24.12.08] Bibliography Blumentritt, T., and Danis, W.M., ‘Business Strategy Types and Innovative Practices’, Journal of Managerial Issues, Vol. 18, 2006. INTERNET, available at http://www.questia.com/read/5016256465?title=Business%20Strategy%20Types%20and%20Innovative%20Practices [viewed 24.12.08] Cohen, N., ‘Plunge in UK retail sales and home deals’, Financial Times, 11 Nov 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/71a9f746-af7c-11dd-a4bf-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] Competition Commission, (2008), Market investigation into the supply of groceries in the UK, HMSO London. Deakins, D., and Freel, M., (2006), Entrepreneurship and Small Firms, McGraw Hill, London. Eaglesham, J., ‘Brown sharpens focus on small businesses’, Financial Times, Published 12.10.08, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7566b7c8-9877-11dd-ace3-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] Epstein, M.J., (2004), Implementing E.Commerce Strategies: A Guide to Corporate Success after the Dot.Com Bust, Praeger, Westport Ct. Gilbert, X., and Strebel, P., (1988), ‘Developing Competitive Advantage’, in Quinn, J.B., Mintzberg, H., and James, R., (eds), The Strategy Process, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs NJ, pp.82-93. Groom, B., ‘A Great Time for New Businesses?’, Financial Times, 18.11.08, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b8fc9ccc-b510-11dd-b780-0000779fd18c.html [viewed 21.11.08] Guthrie, J., ‘Store owner ‘disgusted’ with bank’, Financial Times, 24 Oct 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d30ec254-a163-11dd-82fd-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] Hooley, G., Saunders, J., and Piercy, N., (2004), Marketing Strategy and Competitive Position, 3rd Edition, Financial Times/Prentice Hall. Marsh, P., ‘SQW and Oxford Innovation combine their expertise’, Financial Times, 22nd June 2006, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2bcb2e9e-018b-11db-af16-0000779e2340.html [viewed 22.12.08] Mintzberg, H., Ahlstrand, B., and Lampel, J., (1998), Strategy Safari: The Complete Guide Through the Wilds of Strategic Management, Prentice Hall, London O’Connor, S., ‘The pain in Spain spreads to Kesa’s electrical goods’, Financial Times, 17th Dec 2008 INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b2777ac0-cbdb-11dd-ba02-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] Office of Fair Trading, (2005), Supermarkets: The code of practice and other competition issues. Conclusions. August, OFT807, HMSO, London. Proviser, Thame House Prices, INTERNET, available at http://www.proviser.com/regional/towns/thame/ [viewed 22.12.08] Rigby, E., and Parker, A., ‘Best Buy and Carphone detail Europe venture’, Financial Times, 15 Oct 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e2da7750-9a51-11dd-bfe2-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] Rigby, E., and Parker, A., ‘Carphone upbeat over ambitious new venture’, Financial Times, 15 Oct 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/fc98369a-9ae8-11dd-a653-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] Stroud, D., (1998), Internet Strategies: A Corporate Guide to Exploiting the Internet Macmillan, Basingstoke. ThameNews.Net, ‘Council Tax rise likely for 2009’, INTERNET, available at http://www.thamenews.net/readmore.asp?Content_ID=3972 [viewed 22.12.08] Thomas, D., and Rigby, E., ‘Wind of change blows through retail parks’, Financial Times, 17 Oct 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c93c46ae-9c7a-11dd-a42e-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] Urry, M., ‘Kesa plunges on Comet warning’, Financial Times, 10 Sept 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ae1807ca-7f18-11dd-a3da-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] Unattributed, ‘ACS Calls for Political Action’, Association of Convenience Stores Website, INTERNET, available at http://www.acs.org.uk/en/Press_Office/details/index.cfm/obj_id/7082D32C-933E-4313-9CC47A5603AD2C50 [viewed 28.10.08] Unattributed, ‘UK retail’, Financial Times, 7th Oct 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/d898f024-9447-11dd-953e-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] Wright, W., ‘Dear Chancellor:  £1 billion Small Business Survival Fund’, Federation of Small Businesses Website, INTERNET, available at http://www.fsb.org.uk/frontpage/assets/fsbadvert.pdf [viewed 21.11.08] Appendices. Appendix One. Cashflow forecast, Income.  ­Appendix Two Cashflow Forecast: Expenditure. Month 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total Stock 8,000 8,000 8,000 8,000 8,000 8,000 8,000 8,000 8,000 8,000 8,000 8,000 96,000 Accounting 500 500 1,000 Advertising 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 3,600 Bank Charges 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25

Rheumatoid Arthritis Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic syndrome that is characterized by inflammation of the peripheral joints, but it may also involve the lungs, heart, blood vessels, and eyes. The prevalence of this autoimmune disease is between 0.3% to 1.5% of the population in the United States (Feinberg, pp 815). It affects women two to three times more often than men, and the onset of RA is usually between 25 and 50 years of age, but it can occur at any age (Reed, pp 584). RA can be diagnosed by establishing the presence of persistent joint pain, swelling in a symmetric distribution, and prolonged morning stiffness. RA usually affects multiple joints, such as the hands, wrists, knees, elbows, feet, shoulders, hips, and small hand joints. RA is usually characterized by the inflammation of the synovium, which lines the joints and tendon sheaths of the body.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The etiology of this disease is unknown. There are multiple factors involved in this disease, including autoimmune reactions and environmental factors. There is also a genetic predisposition that has been identified that can be related to the cause of RA. Rheumatoid arthritis develops as a result of an interaction of many factors. Much research is going on now to understand these factors and how they work together. Rheumatoid arthritis is one of several "autoimmune" diseases because a person's immune system attacks his or her own body tissues (Gordon, pp 16). A feature of rheumatoid arthritis is that it varies a lot from person to person. For some people, it lasts only a few months or a year or two and goes away without causing any noticeable damage. Other people have mild or moderate disease, with periods of worsening symptoms, called flares, and periods in which they feel better, called remissions. Still others have severe disease that is active most of the time , lasts for many years, and leads to serious joint damage and disability. Rheumatoid arthritis occurs in all races and ethnic groups. Although the disease often begins in middle age and occurs with increased frequency in older people, children and young adults also develop it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1987, the American Rheumatism Association developed seven criteria to define RA. First, morning stiffness in and around joints lasting at least one hour before improvement. Second, there is arthritis of three or more joint areas. Third, there is swelling of at least one ... ...person's tension can be released in more positive ways rather in a harmful manner towards himself/herself or towards others. The OT may also promote the person to participate in more social activities to get him or her to feel more competent and increase one's self-esteem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Persons with arthritis often do not comply with treatment and management routines, so the Occupational therapist may need to provide him or her with good learning or teaching techniques. The OT must also share with the patient the expectations about treatment and management, encourage personal responsibility for his or her care, and maintain a relaxed environment to encourage communication with other professionals and loved ones. The OT must also be cautious of any other health concerns that may arise due to the progression of the illness or even side effects from the medications. There are so many affected by Rheumatoid Arthritis and it is a growing illness that has been seen across the United States. In the future of medicine, more and more research will be done to find the cure to this illness, but for now, such treatment like Occupational therapy will further advance the lives of those living with RA.

Honesty: Characters of Othello :: English Literature Essays

Honesty: Characters of Othello Honesty can be a way of life for many people. For some it can define all that they really are and for others it can define how they view all of their peers, friends, and family. But whichever way you cut it, honesty can affect you greatly and every solitary day. This idea was one of the most specific and open parts of the plot of William Shakespeare's Othello. In the play Shakespeare gives us brilliant insight as to what can happen as a result of believing and trusting in the honesty and words of others. Though they might seem sincere, he seems to say, everyone has their own agenda. The three characters: Iago, Desdemona, and Othello himself all seemed to view honesty and moral values in their own personal ways; some were deserving of trust, some not. "O, that's an honest fellow" seems to sum up the trust bestowed upon Iago in this novel, until the bitter, biter end that is. Such great thing were said of his honesty in this play, things like: "You advise me well. goodnight honest Iago" and "I know thou'rt full of love and honesty". Irony had been one of Shakespeare's dramatic affects, and this play lacked in absolutely no way. Iago as a person was "evil", conniving, and "wicked"; lacking the basic morals that most people of our time, and Shakespeare's, have always prided themselves in having. He himself was very untrusting, going to such lengths as suspecting his wife Emilia as being unfaithful. But where did all this dishonesty and trickery lead him? To an end that leaves the audience asking, "why?" When Othello, after murdering his ever faithful wife Desdemona, demands Iago give his reasons Iago declares he will take his reasons with him to the grave, and though we might all feel we have an idea as to his motives only one person has ever really known. Shakespeare himself, and he as well took the secret to the grave. Possibly the only honest explanation we'll ever have derives from the most infamous of all of Iago's lines: "When devils will the blackest sins put on, they do suggest at first with heavenly shows". Though the line still leaves an observer empty, without content as to his motives, it suggests that he had motives that were justified in his own eyes. To Iago, his perceptions were all that mattered really, and honesty was a thing to be twisted to his own desires.

Equality for Race Essay

As a teenager growing up in the 1990’s, I have realized the overwhelming importance of racial equality and cooperation in our society. I strongly believe that the key to the success of America’s future is the breaking down of all racial barriers and working together as one, united nation to try to bring this country back to the land of true â€Å"equal† opportunity. These past few years have been trying times for open-mindedness for Americans. Witnessing the vicious beating of Rodney King, the riots that followed the King verdict where Reginald Denny was brutally and senselessly beaten, had the whole country on edge. The single biggest court case in this country’s history – that of O.J. Simpson – was blanketed with racial overtones. The verdict had the country almost divided over the decision. Now Louis Farrakhan is preaching controversial ideas and beliefs to millions of black men across the nation, creating tension among the races. These incidents only impose more obstacles in American society’s racial relations. But the best way to mend these wounds is to create an environment were all races and creeds can work and interact together every day, to better understand and relate to other cultures and their customs, and beliefs on a person-to-person basis. I recently was asked the question: when was the last time you discussed racism with someone of another race? One of my best friends is an African-American Metco student from Dorchester, and another is of Mexican-American decent. We have been friends for so long that we openly discuss racial problems all the time. But I wondered if this question was asked of the entire country how many people could comfortably and openly discuss their views on racism with a person of different race? I’m sure there are a lot of people who don’t have the same opportunity that I do. Creating a multicultural environment, especially at the college level, where you are exposed to so many unique ideas and people, is an excellent start to try to introduce people to others in a time when you are alone for the first time, in a foreign environment, and everyone is looking to make friends. If more people stop being ignorant and start using experience and the past as a teacher, they will see that all the fighting and intolerance doesn’t get anyone anywhere. We will see that in adverse times when people pull together, positive things are almost always the result. So I am anxiously hoping to be a positive influence in achieving a multiculturally aware student body, and maybe if more campuses make this issue a top priority the country will benefit as a whole.

Observation and Description

The teacher used colorful manipulative materials, visual aids, overhead projector, projector screen, blackboard, and chalk in teaching equivalent fractions. The students gathered their desk together and worked in groups.   There were four students in each group.   Each group member has colorful fraction pieces of paper in a plastic bag to help them perform the Mathematical activities on equivalent fractions. The classroom is spacious and there are shelves filled with learning materials.   There is also a television set above the blackboard.   The classroom is well lighted, orderly and the environment is conducive to learning. b. Describe the observed teaching situation in video 2. Students worked in groups.   There are three students in each station.   Every station has a variety of activities designed to help students learn the concepts of geometry.   Students have used the resources available in the station in learning geometry. The classroom is spacious, orderly and well lighted.   There are several learning materials inside the classroom.   The environment is conducive to learning. c. Describe the observed delivery of instruction in video 1. The teacher has an organized way of preparing the class for the lesson.   Before presenting the lesson, the teacher instructed her students to get the materials needed for the Math lesson such as fraction pieces of paper and notebooks.   Then, she asked them to put all the colors of the fraction pieces of paper together so they could easily use the materials. The teacher was able to give instructions in a clear manner.   She initially used her manipulatives and the overhead projector to demonstrate how to find one half of the circle.   This prompted the students to follow what she did and discover different combinations of one half using their fraction pieces of paper. d. Describe the observed delivery of instruction in video 2. The teacher allowed the students to discover the principles of geometry on their own.   She went to the stations to observe and check on what the students are doing.   She guided some students and tell them how other students approach the problem and work on the activities.   Probing was also done when she asked the students â€Å"this one connects to that vertex, is there another one that this one could be connected to?†Ã‚   All instructions given by the teacher were clearly understood by the students. There was a good follow-up on what the students have learned when the teacher asked some students about the types of information that they have used to describe the shapes, and what they have discovered when the vertices were connected.   In addition, she also had a good control of the flow of lesson and classroom situation when she asked the student, who was busy working on the activities in the tangram station, to write a reflection on what they have learned.   The teacher also expressed appreciation on the effort of the students. e. Describe student interaction with the observed instruction in video 1. After the teacher demonstrated how she was able to get the equivalent fractions using her manipulatives, the students use the fraction pieces of paper that they have and they were able to work on their own in discovering the equivalent fractions. The teacher went around the group to ask questions as students work on their fraction pieces of paper.   There were positive interactions between the teacher and the students. f. Describe student interaction with the observed instruction in video 2. Students had positive interactions with their classmates and with the teacher.   They spoke and listened to one another, shared what they have discovered, considered the ideas of their classmates, and sometimes agreed or disagreed with their ideas. Each member of the group contributed to the learning process.   They shared the resources found in their respective stations. Analysis, Exploration, and Reasoning a. Explain the pedagogical purpose of the observed teacher’s lesson in video 1. The teacher has used modeling when she initially demonstrated how to discover the equivalent fractions.   The cooperative learning method has encouraged small groups of students to work together and discover the different combinations of equivalent fractions using the fraction pieces of paper. While working in groups, the active learning environment was established and students learn by performing the activities, discussing their work with their group mates and seeing different combinations of fractions that their group mates have done. b. Explain the pedagogical purpose of the observed teacher’s lesson in video 2. The teacher has used cooperative learning in grouping students in each station.   The activities in each station were structured to help students learn geometry through their own discovery and to make them fully engaged in the learning process. The teacher made some observations, listening and intervening whenever necessary so students can meet the goal in learning the concepts of geometry.   Students have hands-on learning experience, good interaction and cooperation as they share their ideas with their classmates and use the resources that are found in the stations.   This encourages retention of the lesson and appreciation of learning. c. Analyze the observed teacher’s possible purpose for using a specific strategy in video 1. Math is a subject that a lot of students fear and do not appreciate.   The teacher has used her creativity in utilizing manipulatives in teaching fractions to make the lesson interesting to the students. A lot of students are visual learners and the mathematical activities involving the use of colorful manipulatives and overhead projector as visual aids and fraction pieces of paper for hands-on learning develop eye-hand coordination and critical thinking. d. Analyze the observed teacher’s possible purpose for using a specific strategy in video 2. The activities that were structured in every station were observed to be in various levels of difficulty.   Learning about shapes is easy, connecting the vertices and discovering if there are similarities between the number of vertices and the number of lines connecting them has an average level of difficulty.   The tangram station is challenging because students are required to put the polygons together to form some patterns. The possible purpose of using the cooperative learning strategy is to allow students to work at their own pace and within their intellectual capacity.   Asking students to write what they have learned in each station is a good way of checking whether they find the lesson interesting or if they are ready to move to a different station in their next lesson. e. Analyze the impact of the observed teacher’s instructional strategy on student learning in video 1. Students were performing the activities in fractions without realizing that they were adding, subtracting, or multiplying numbers to discover equivalent fractions. Cooperative learning allowed students to work with other students and gain knowledge through their own discovery while interacting with their teacher and with other members of the group. f. Analyze the impact of the observed teacher’s instructional strategy on student learning in video 2. All students were fully engaged in the activities.   Cooperative learning led students to engage in a lot of discussions, sharing of ideas and critical thinking. Students are learning the principles of geometry through hands-on activities.   They also learn through exploration and discovery.   With the variety of activities, students are not bored and they appreciate the lesson.

ENG 125 Week 4 DQ 2 Essay

Shakespeare’s Macbeth is often considered one of literature’s greatest tragedies and is said to reveal much about human nature. Do you agree or disagree that the play conveys much about humanity or about the human experience? What, if anything, does the work suggest about human beings or society? Support your views with textual details and analysis. In your response, address how Macbeth’s subject matter, themes, form, or other literary elements might (or might not) be characteristic of tragedy. How do tragic qualities of the play contribute (or not) to the story’s larger message(s)? There can be no denying the importance of a college education for countless individuals. However, that is not to say that decisions regarding where to apply, which major to choose and how the degree program will be financed are simple ones. By heeding the tips found above, it is possible to simplify the process a bit and gain a bit of helpful perspective. This archive file of ENG 125 Week 4 Discussion Question 2 contains: Shakespeare Linguistics – English ENG125 W 4 DQ 2. Shakespeare’s Macbeth is often considered one of literature’s greatest tragedies and is said to reveal much about human nature. Do you agree or disagree that the play conveys much about humanity or about the human experience? What, if anything, does the work suggest about human beings or society? Support your views with textual details and analysis. In your response, address how Macbeth’s subject matter, themes, form, or other literary elements might (or might not) be characteristic of tragedy. How do tragic qualities of the play contribute (or not) to the story’s larger message(s)? There can be no denying the importance of a college education for countless individuals. H†¦ A+ tutorial you will find here – https://bitly. com/1oJLRXo There can be no denying the importance of a college education for countless individuals. However, that is not to say that decisions regarding where to apply, which major to choose and how the degree program will be financed are simple ones. By heeding the tips found above, it is possible to simplify the process a bit and gain a bit of helpful perspective. Linguistics – English ENG125 W 4 DQ 2. Shakespeare’s Macbeth is often considered one of literature’s greatest tragedies and is said to reveal much about human nature. Do you agree or disagree that the play conveys much about humanity or about the human experience? What, if anything, does the work suggest about human beings or society? Support your views with textual details and analysis. In your response, address how Macbeth’s subject matter, themes, form, or other literary elements might (or might not) be characteristic of tragedy. How do tragic qualities of the play contribute (or not) to the story’s larger message(s)? †¦

ModIV Product Development Team

For three people In particular, Mod IV also typified the challenges of working amid new pressures and demands. As director of HAVE Controls, one of the Building Controls Division's four product areas, Linda Whitman was the senior marketing person for the Mod IV product line and had primary profit and loss responsibility for Mod IV. She could see the Impact a delay would have on her area's performance, and she understood the pressing market need to have Mod IV contain attractive features. When she first became director of HAVE Controls in 1 986, she realized that marketing had to play a more active role in development of Mod IV.Since then she had watched her fellow marketers on the Mod IV team work through problems and conflicts with engineers, and she knew some of the most difficult issues still had to be resolved. But addressing any issue required patience, persistence, and tact, and even then Linda often found herself torn. She had to make sure HAVE Controls met its projections, wh ich required collaborating with engineering and manufacturing, both of which seemed at times overburdened and at times unresponsive. Larry Rodgers, lead design engineer on Mod IV, had been Involved In the Mod IV project for five years.He could sense the pressure mounting both on the team and on the division as Mod IV encountered difficulties entering the final months of the project. Larry and six of the engineers he supervised had their hands full trying to reduce the noise the Mod IV motor was generating. He knew the marketers had concerns about Mod Ivy's appeal to customers, but with Bib's limited resources and its stress on fast development, he wondered how he could address himself to marketing's concerns at this time.Like many engineers at BCC, Larry understood the competitive and financial challenges BCC faced, but he wondered if others appreciated the depth and complexity of design work and engineering problems. Research Associate Joshua D. Marigolds prepared this case under t he supervision of Professor Anne Donnelly as the basis for class discussion rather than to Illustrate either effective or Ineffective handling of an administrative situation. Figures In this case have been disguised. Call (617) 495-6117 or write the Publishing Division, Harvard Business School, Boston, MA 02163.No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means? electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise?without the permission of Harvard Business School. 1 This document is authorized for use only by Wing Chou in Project MGM taught by George Variations Case Western Reserve University from August 2014 to December 2014. 491-030 John Bailey, general manager of BCC, could all but hear the footsteps of competitors eager to grab business from his division.Although he bristled at the thought of a delay and its effect on Bib's ability to meet corporate financial targets,l he wanted to respect the team's autonomy. John knew the team was grappling with several ribosome issues, and though he focused his attention on making sure the division met its objectives, he wanted to find ways to support the team as it addressed the problems before it. Building Controls Division Honeywell Building Controls Division (BCC) produced climate controls and systems for four market areas: HAVE, burners and boilers, lighting, and water products.BCC employed 1250 people and recorded 1988 sales of more than $150 million. The division dealt with two types of customers, original equipment manufacturers (Moms) and trade customers. The Moms incorporated Honeywell products into their own reduces, which they in turn sold to the market. Trade customers sold Honeywell products directly to the market. BCC placed highest priority on the quality of its products, on the division's flexibility, and on its response to customers.The division's profitability and return on investment?both well above i ndustry averages?were points of pride. 1981 marked the first and only year in Honeywell history that its Residential and Building Controls Division lost money. Controls were Honeywell original business, and the shock of 1981 brought new management to this division, management determined to regain Honeywell competitive edge. As part of the recovery process, Honeywell split residential and building controls into two separate divisions, thus creating the Building Controls Division.To end the days when people from engineering, manufacturing, and marketing/sales worked in different locations, a new building was constructed with enough room to house everyone. To integrate the three major functional areas, BCC introduced a series of changes that intertwined to create a new form of product development. BCC hoped to transform itself into an agile organization capable of outnumbering competitors through faster Product Development and the Controls BusinessIn the old system of product developme nt, the product passed through each functional area in a sequence of discrete steps: marketers conceived of a product idea and passed it along to design engineers, who would design the product and pass the design to process engineers; process engineers determined how to make the product and then dropped the plans into the laps of the manufacturing engineers and the plants. At each stage in the sequence, people encountered problems created by work done at earlier stages.Process engineers, for example, would discover they could not make what the design engineers had crafted. Product development thus became a game of â€Å"tossing the bear over the wall. † When you completed your particular piece of the project, you tossed it over the wall to the next group, not caring what took place on 1 . A widely-cited economic model developed by McKinney and Company â€Å"calculates that going 50% over budget during development to get a product out on time reduces . .. Profits by only 4%. But staying on budget and getting to market six months late reduces profits by a third. (David Woodruff and Stephen Phillips, â€Å"A Smarter Way to Manufacture,† Business Week, April 30, 1990, p. 111 . See also Brian Domains, â€Å"How Managers Can Succeed Through Speed,† Fortune, February 13, 1989. ) 2 the other side. If you had problems with work done at previous stages, you made your changes and tossed the design back to the previous group for them to adjust their work. The process was slow and costly. Every change meant more time, higher cost, and heightened animosity between functional areas. But rapid changes in the controls business inspired the division to look for new approaches.John Bailey explained: In the early sass the move to electronics and microelectronics was accelerating, and e were having a hard time dealing with that by using engineering and manufacturing techniques that had evolved over one-hundred years and were slighted toward a really slow-movi ng industry and slow-moving technology. To suddenly get into a cycle going from products that you could design and have on the line for thirty years, to three years life expectancy?well, we couldn't do a development in three years. So there was a big need for change imposed on us by technology and by the new competitors that technology brought into the market. Layers, to at one point in the early sass we counted 160 competitors?150 of them ere little electric assembly shops, where a couple of engineers would get together, lay out a circuit board, stuff it, and start selling. A few of those competitors grew up, prospered, and became viable. They grew out of that change in technology. But it meant we had to change. We had to change for many reasons. We were coming out of a period when we weren't profitable enough. We were changing because we were going from part of a division to a stand-alone division.Our competitive environment was changing, technology was changing, and our customers were demanding a different set of requirements from us. So there was no alternative but to change. Parallel Development and Teams When BCC abandoned sequential development in the mid-sass, it embraced a new process called â€Å"parallel development. † In this system, a core team of people assembled from the three critical functions?manufacturing, marketing/sales, and engineering?worked together to guide a project from the conceptual stage all the way through final production.People still reported to their functional managers, who continued to supervise and evaluate all employees, and each functional area continued to perform its specialized role on the project; yet all areas now worked on he same project simultaneously. The core team guided and tracked the development, coordinating efforts across functions and addressing issues of mutual concern. A program manager secured resources for the team, orchestrated its work, kept an eye on the complete project, and served as a liai son to senior managers.One BCC employee described the personal effect the new approach had: The team system does not allow people to single-minded defend the position of their functional area, of what's easiest, or best, or cheapest for their own functional area. It forces people to look at a bigger picture. . â€Å"Engineering,† when used alone, refers to both product and process engineering. 3 As BCC made the transition to parallel development, it had to confront its history and discard old habits. Marketing had always enjoyed a sacred position at BCC, as John Bailey explained: â€Å"Marketing called all the shots, controlled the purse strings.Engineering felt it worked for marketing. † To make the team-system work, Bailey and his senior staff felt they would have to create parity among the functional groups. Each area had to see itself as an equal partner and contributor. People had to accept additional responsibility responsibility for the success of the entire pro ject, not Just relevant to their functional area or not. A manufacturing engineer, for example, had to attend team meetings even if the project was only at a design stage.Since people were accustomed simply to completing a task and passing the project on, they felt team meetings stole time from doing actual work and added to total work-load. As people gradually adapted to parallel development and teams, they continued to struggle with their expanded roles and responsibilities. Many people at BCC felt the new product development system exerted too much reassure on them. Because people now worked on projects from beginning to end, not Just when their piece had to be done, they had multiple projects to Juggle at once. Combined with the emphasis on fast development, this at times overwhelmed BCC employees.Several people described the pressures they felt and what they perceived to be their sources: We have to make a decision on the deployment of resources. When it comes to choosing betwe en things to do, the answer from above is, ‘Do both'?with no added resources. Or if we get additional resources, we're Just stealing them from another project. The system is heavily loaded, especially since we're learning a new way of working. There are many things to do with little headcount and no relief with the project schedule. Engineering doesn't have a realistic schedule. This puts stress on the system.Teams could help but there are obstacles to having a team work on a project. You need true support from management. If somebody's supposed to be dedicated to a team, management has to be willing to let that person spend all of his or her time on the project. Logistics also need work. You have to be able to work out the fractions of people's time. You need one fully dedicated person from each function, but you also rely on the entire functional group. So people working on multiple projects have to know how to split their time. How do you prioritize projects? All work is hi gh priority.And how do you reward people? Even John Bailey recognized he would have to alter his management style. The tone of the way the division is managed comes right from the top. If I want teams, and I promote ‘me and cultivate them, then there will be teams. If I'm going to dictate orders, then that's the way my staff will act? dictate orders. I mean those things get reflected right through an organization because I think people look up to see what's happening, and if you don't lead by example, then you're not going to get what you want. People watch actions more than words. I can't be autocratic and dictatorial to my people, as I tended to be when I was vice pretty good dictator. I'm very comfortable with that style. Part of the problem is, I grew up in this business. I understand HAVE. It's real easy for me to tell people what I think they have to do on almost any issue. But if I do that, and my staff does that, it goes right down the line, and we don't have teamwork. We also don't benefit from the ideas and perspectives of the whole work force. So I've tried to learn to have patience, change my style, look for consensus, have involvement of my staff as a team, share more information, be more open.I've had to learn that you take a risk with this and not everything comes out the way you want it, but the potential payoffs far outweigh the risks. I don't know how you legislate dedication, creativity, or motivation into people. I don't think you can. You can't tell people they have to do it a certain way. What you do is create the environment and the responsibility and be flexible. But those are all new things for me. I didn't come to this as a natural team player. I got into this because it looked like the way this business could run best.People throughout BCC spoke highly of John Bailey, crediting him with creating a vibrant climate, but they perceived remnants of an autocratic style. Two stories circulated widely through BCC, highlighting both Jo hn's own struggle to change and the two sides to communication within the division. One story detailed the way John and his staff calmly received a team's decision to cancel a project and start anew after the team determined the initial plan to be unfeasible. The other told of John's visit to a team meeting?to show his support?where he learned of a time delay.Although John made sure not to criticize the team, he was visibly upset and subsequently castigated his senior managers for not informing him of the delay. Some of those managers were themselves unaware of the delay, and the team both sensed and learned of John's displeasure with the news. Using parallel development, BCC management believed the division was now in a position to make better products?and in less time. Because all functional areas participated in the entire development, team members could understand the needs f their teammates and could work on their pieces of the project with those requirements in mind.Engineers could design a product with a better grasp of customer needs and manufacturing requirements, while manufacturing and marketing people would understand the limits of what the engineers could do. Instead of tossing the product and problems back and forth over walls, teams could identify potential problems and prevent them. The walls could come down as people from different functions talked with one another more frequently. Fewer problems and overlapping work would deliver what John Bailey coveted most: reduced placement time.According to the division's estimates, the new product development system had reduced development time from an average of 38 months to an average of 14 months. John saw speed as Bib's weapon for reclaiming competitive prominence, and he campaigned tenaciously to cut the time it took to get products from â€Å"concept to carton. † 5 Although people attributed much of the division's resurgence in the sass to the close working relationships that now existed be tween different functional groups, there was some feeling that antagonism had not evaporated entirely and that finger- pointing still occurred.A marketer and an engineer gave separate examples: From a schedule standpoint, engineering's credibility was no good. They were telling us dates that Just weren't getting met. We tried to arrange shared goals and objectives, and it was like pulling teeth from engineering. They said they had their own milestones. The first shared deadline they suggested wasn't valid since we needed things from them well before that. We in engineering thought we had a minor design problem that we could solve as we worked on other problems. However, the problem didn't go away, so we moved it up on our list of priorities.Finally, we had to blow the whistle on ourselves because we felt the changes would require more time than the schedule allowed. We went to the head of marketing with our position. We said we were making progress but did not feel we would make our introduction date and needed more time. He said we had to stick to the dates we had. It's his prerogative to demand that the target dates be met, so the target dates were not changed, even though the team knew we weren't going to make it. Insisting that a date not change, though, can lead too project problem.I'm not sure what's accomplished by insisting on unrealistic dates. Mod With its new strategy for product development, BCC approached the Mod IV project intent on â€Å"making the dates happen. † John Bailey explained the urgency behind the project: â€Å"Two competitors have introduced new products and retooled. They have overcapacity and are Just waiting to steal market share. We cannot make a mistake. † BCC was spending $19 million to develop Mod IV and planned to have it replace products accounting for over 30% of the division's profit. These figures led one senior manager to call Mod IV â€Å"our golden egg. Although the golden egg was about to hatch, Mod IV had had a long gestation. History of Mod IV In 1981 Jay Lander, process engineer on the current Mod IV team, was asked to examine how the company could improve the quality of its motors and reduce their cost. His study turned into a cost-reduction, quality-improvement initiative executed in three phases. Mod IV represented the final and most ambitious phase. Although inspired by engineering, Mod IV promised the most dramatic innovations in manufacturing and therefore was deemed a â€Å"flexible manufacturing project. With the one Mod IV motor line, BCC planned to automate its entire assembly process and over $20 million in revenue. The project promised to reduce costs and improve profit arising, making it attractive to the manufacturing people. But some marketers were concerned that customers would not accept this new motor and BCC would lose market share. That would reduce revenues, the primary index of marketing's contribution to the organization. The team, 6 however, intended t o offer a product replete with features and enhancements attractive to customers.The team would then use price incentives to encourage customers to convert to the Mod ‘V. BCC began work on Mod IV in 1984, prior to the introduction of teams and parallel development, but the same design and process engineers had worked together on Mod IV from the beginning. They had even carved out an open office area, nicknamed â€Å"the bullpen,† by removing partitions between cubicles and setting up a central conference table. Manufacturing engineers were frequent visitors to the bullpen and initiated many of the impromptu meetings.Design, process, and manufacturing, however, did not collaborate closely with marketing until 1986, when the current Mod IV marketing people began replacing their predecessors on the project. One engineer spoke about marketing's involvement: The marketing people have changed since the project began while the engineers have been the same since the beginning. Marketing decisions changed each time the marketing people changed. We had to do two rounds of market research. This has had a negative psychological effect. It leaves the impression that the rationale developed in marketing is only as good as the people who developed it.So we lived through a change of direction. Not one marketing person is the same as when the project began. For a long time, marketing didn't buy into Mod IV. They were forced enthusiastic. Now they're enthusiastic because it's a better product, but it's been a lot of extra work for them. They would have been better off with the combination of the old reduce and the absence of this extra work. From the time Linda Whitman became director of HAVE Controls in 1986, she had collaborated closely with her peers in other functional areas.As she put it in terms of Mod IV, â€Å"Manufacturing and engineering were a whole lot further ahead in the project. And if it was going to be successful, there had to be a balance in term s of expertise and authority. † Linda stressed equal participation, but her role as director think that's the way business-unit directors are expected to perform. Of all the players, we have ultimate responsibility for the P&L [Profit and Loss]. And I am responsible for my engineering deliverables. The engineers do not report to me, but I am accountable for telling them what projects to work on and in what order.Likewise, sales does not report to me, but my marketing group controls the revenue plan and unit-sales targets they must achieve to earn bonuses. We're also responsible for developing their programs for customers and for authorizing special deals. We're responsible for defining the product road-maps and introducing the products. We provide the technical support to customers the training, the hotlist, the technical support for the field reps. We're in charge of pricing, advertising, and sales promotion activities. We're also responsible for arbitrating unresolved delive ry problems and for determining delivery codes and lead times.It runs the gamut. 7 Linda explained how marketing had to make up for lost time on Mod IV: Marketing was uninvolved for a long time?for two reasons. First, it was never a marketing- driven development, which is highly unusual. Second, marketing was so Johnny- come-lately. By the time we had a solid marketing team established, engineering and manufacturing were entrenched in the way they believed it should be done. That made it much harder when we did come along. The new marketers' concern led the team to revise the project's scope, but marketers still had some lingering uneasiness.A marketer explained: Mod IV is replacing our bread and butter for no market-driven reason. Sure, it's a cost reduction and a quality improvement, but our motors already are very high quality and provide high margins, so from a marketing standpoint, it didn't have to be done. The customer-benefits derived from Mod ‘V, including modules, co uld be developed for our present motor lines. Team Members Linda Whitman Director, HAVE Controls. Linda became the head of marketing for HAVE Controls, one of Bib's four market areas, in early 1986.In nine years with Honeywell, Linda had progressed through five positions, each time dramatically improving the department she supervised. Although Linda succeeded in each of her new positions, with three of her Job changes she replaced an incumbent man who had been relegated to another position; as she acknowledged, â€Å"This was not the Linda described herself as â€Å"results-oriented, hard-driving, intense, and compassionate. † Organization, discipline, and strong strategic planning were Land's llamas, but she insisted on letting her marketers work autonomously.She enjoyed working at BCC and praised its comfortable, diverse environment. Her management style, though, had caused her to think about â€Å"being female in an engineering- dominated, Midwestern manufacturing compan y. † It's extremely difficult for many people to accept a woman who's hardwiring and results-oriented the same way they can accept a man in that role. It's the old classic. A lot of times pejoratives are assigned, whereas if it were a man, it's Just ‘a person doing his Job. ‘ I think there's much more forgiveness for men to have quirks than there is for women.Linda was in her mid thirties. Jack Scott Program Manager, Manufacturing. Jack served as Program Manager while also supervising the project's manufacturing efforts. He also supervised several other manufacturing activities. Jack had Joined the Mod IV team a year and a half earlier, and though he had known all of the project's engineers for ten years, he called himself â€Å"the new kid on the block. † Jack described his role: 8 I try to keep all ends tied together for the net result. Where are we on tooling dollars, engineering design, order and delivery of the production machines?I tie all the ices tog ether to make sure they hit the floor at the same time. I make sure communication is happening so that all things are getting done. I make sure we don't get one of these things where we get all done and someone says, You didn't tell us about that. ‘ Jack was in his forties. Jay Lander Senior Principal Process Engineer. â€Å"Father† of the Mod ‘V. Jay's 1981 study led to development of Mod ‘V, which he now worked on. Jay was in his sixties. Larry Rodgers Mechanical Design Manager. In charge of all engineering efforts on Mod ‘V, Larry supervised all seven design engineers working on HAVE Controls products.Six of those engineers were working on Mod ‘V, and Larry himself had worked on Mod IV since it began in 1984. Larry displayed constant equanimity, rarely letting the pressure of a situation disturb his demeanor, which some considered aloof. However, he readily acknowledged the history of tension on the project: The impetus for the program was inc reased profit. The project is attractive to manufacturing because they're profit-driven. Marketing is revenue-driven, and this product may reduce revenue. Since it will cost less to make the Mod IV, customers will want it for less, and that will reduce revenue. Engineering's objectives are to