...Altruism is defined as the belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others and any behavior of an animal that may be disadvantageous for the individual, but that benefits others of its species (Oxford Dictionaries, 2011). The term “altruism” was coined by Auguste Comte (1798-1857), a French philosopher and social reformer and the theory was espoused by Prince Peter Kropotkin (1842-1921), a Russian philosopher, as the 'law of mutual aid (Sociology Professor, 2011). The altruism theory was expanded upon by William Donald Hamilton with his genetical theory of social behavior, also known as the Theory of Kin Selection and Inclusive Fitness. Hamilton used the behavior of bees to explain altruism. Bees exist and operate in a stringent social hierarchy. The workers are sterile, serving only to protect and fulfill the needs of their queen, rather than reproduce themselves. This was the focus of Hamilton’s theories of kin selection and inclusive fitness (Barash, 1977). Through his theory, Hamilton argues that an individual can oversee progress of his genes in two ways: through reproducing and overseeing the upbringing of his own offspring or, the altruistic individual can forego reproduction, and participate in the rearing of a relative’s offspring. Hamilton poses that in this incidence, many of the genes lie in common with the altruistic individual, thus propagating his genotype indirectly (Crawford, 1987). Hamilton also presented a mathematical...
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...Strategic Assignment Tim Ashby Team 9, Cohort A Instructor: Terry Power BUSA506: Strategy April 8, 2012 Total Word Count: 1994 Executive Summary This paper provides a comprehensive review of the business model and challenges faced by Blue Nile Inc., attempting to answer the question of whether its strategy to remain number one in online diamond retailing will work. Analysis of competitive strengths, business model and business strategy have been completed, and an assessment of current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats has been supported with recommendations on how to best align and act on a winning strategy in the online diamond space. Competitive Forces – Five Forces Competitive Rivalry * HIGH: Competition in the online diamond market is intense and sustained. Originally dominated by mature jewelry chains such as Tiffany and Zales, the diamond retail market in 2009 was highly fractured with entries from online, offline, TV and mass merchant retailers chasing a customer base substantially reduced due to economic recession. Supplier Power * MEDIUM: Supply of diamonds is in short supply, with production controlled of non-conflict diamonds by only a few large suppliers. Blue Nile has only nominal volume compared to global sales, therefore small leverage with suppliers, and cannot self-manufacture. However, they have negotiated multiple vendor agreements, and have price certainty into next several years. Buyer Power * HIGHEST:...
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...Introduction Blue Nile is the largest online retailer of diamonds in the United States. The company offers more than 60,000 diamonds on its website. The national average for an engagement ring is $3,200 but Blue Nile exceeds this number by having a $5,600 average price1. With no physical stores, no intermediaries and offering products four times cheaper than rivals, Blue Nile has proven to be a successful online retailer. Blue Nile is directly competing with both online diamonds merchants and physical stores diamonds retailers. Physical stores selling diamonds have tried to encourage customers that buying a diamond is a sensational experience that can only be realized in stores (and not online). They have highlighted the idea of seeing, touching and comparing diamonds that is exclusively possible in a store. Blue Nile has many competitors such as Tiffany and Co, Diamonds.com, and Zale Jewelers Stores. (Blue Nile. (n.d.)). These companies have tried to demonstrate that the price of the diamond is worth the unique and exclusive experience offered only in stores. Organizational background Everything started in 1999, when Mark Vadon, a consultant at Bain and Co. went to a Tiffany and Co. store in San Francisco, looking for an engagement ring for his future fiancée. He was a casual man wearing casual cloth. Vadon said that Tiffany and Co. salesperson ignored him and did not help him finding a ring because he did not look like a potential and interesting customer. After this...
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...Arden Brazzeal Case Study #4: Blue Nile Corporate Strategy 1. Prepare a five-forces model of competition in the online retail jewelry industry. Conclude as to the strength or weakness of each force as well as the attractiveness of the industry overall. Rivalry Among Competing Sellers- There are many competitors in the online retail jewelry industry with overlapping characteristics in their business models. A very similar competitor that Blue Nile faces is Diamonds.com. Diamonds.com has expert gemologists. They offer "more than 40,000 loose diamonds" in a selection of settings. (Page 326) Their customers have the option to customize their purchases. They provide their customers with widespread educational knowledge for purchasing a diamond. They have excellent customer service by providing free shipping, an appraisal of the diamond, and non-customized orders receive 30 days to return the purchase after delivery. (Page 327) Diamonds.com offers substitute diamonds that are readily available and easily accessible to their customers. Another competitor in the diamond industry is Whiteflash.com. They too provide their customers with the option to customize jewelry. One service that they provide that is unique from their competitors is their diamond trade-up policy. This policy provides customers with a less expensive option to purchase a new Whiteflash diamond by trading in or exchanging their old diamond for a new, more expensive one. Their customer service features...
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...Introduction The Nile River is the longest river in the world, stretching approximately 6,700 km from its remote headwaters in eastern Africa to the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile and its tributaries flow through Eleven countries and the river basin drains over three million square kilometers (one tenth of Africa’s total land mass) and is home to more than 300 million people (many of them are among the world’s poorest). Because of its size and variety of climates and topographies, the Nile is one of the most complex river basins in the world. The Nile originates from its major source, Lake Victoria forming the White Nile that flows generally North through Uganda and into Sudan where it meets the Blue Nile at Khartoum, from the confluence of the White and Blue Nile, the Main Nile River flows northwards into Egypt and to the Mediterranean Sea. The Eastern Nile includes the countries of Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt, and encompasses the sub-basins of the Baro-Akobo-Sobat, the Blue Nile, the Tekezze-Settit-Atbara, portions of the White Nile in Sudan, and the Main Nile. All flows in the Nile are the result of rainfall upon the Ethiopian highlands and the Equatorial lakes region. While this rainfall is usually plentiful, it is not always consistent from year to year. The annual average rainfall over the entire Nile basin is approximately 600 mm, ranging from 1200-1600 mm at the headwater regions to near zero at the most northern part of the basin. The seasonal fluctuations of rainfall...
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...SWOT…………………………………………………………………………… page 46 Financial ratios…………………………………………………………………… page 50 Strategies………………………………………………………………………… page 53 Preferred strategy……………………………………………………………….. page 60 EVA……………………………………………………………………………… page 62 Blue Nile balance sheet…………………………………………………………… page 63 References…………………………………………………………………………. Page 64 Executive Summary Blue Nile is a publicly traded company. The company was established in 1999 and is headquartered in Seattle, WA and is one of leading online retailers of diamonds and fine jewelry. In addition to serving the U.S. market, Blue Nile offers products to selected countries through its Canadian and UK websites. 70% of their sales are from engagement rings and wedding bands and they are known for being a high-end jewelry retailer. The company offers its products on its websites without actually holding the products. Because of its unique business model, it is able to sell its products at much lower prices than the competitors. After a thorough analysis of the trends impacting the market, and Blue Nile in particular, we have come up with a strategy that will maintain and improve the company’s position in the industry. By increasing its focus on marketing, Blue Nile should be able to gain more of...
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...OPERATIONS AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT www.ibscdc.org 1 Efficient Project Management at TransWorks Information Services Pvt. Ltd., an Indian-based BPO Company This is a real life case taken from a service industry; it discusses the real life problem faced by a BPO Company. It focusess on the problems faced by the calling agents and the management as a whole, many a times it so happens that the management perceives a problem in a different angle and the solution eludes them; this causes a lot of frustration on the part of employees and management resulting in mass attrition. The real concern today for any call centre company is its high attrition rate; the basic reason being the discord between the management and the employee. The employees look out for a congenial and empathetic management and shift to the other competing companies when offered a good work environment. This case study throws light on one such aspect where a mass attrition was avoided by the top management by strategic and lateral thinking. Pedagogical Objectives • How a manager dealt with such a challenging project with support of his team of 14 fresh trainees • How he managed to save the project and bring about some wonderful changes to glide through the difficult times • How innovation and teamwork can change things for an organisation. Industry Reference No. Year of...
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...Smart Urinary Biosensor (Biomedical Engineering) Introduction With the increasing cost in providing healthcare to patients with chronic conditions, new strategies need to be developed to provide monitoring and support in a more distributed, noninvasive and remote atmosphere. Smart urinary biosensors permit the internal biologically-controlled mega-network controlled by the central nervous system communicates with an external body sensor using a wireless communication technology (Thomas, Javier, & Espina. 2006, p.60). Urine test strips or dipsticks have for a long time been used to detect renal failure. The disadvantage of using this method is that it can produce false results if not utilized in the appropriate conditions. One example is when erythrocytes and leukocytes precipitate at the bottom of the container; they cannot detect if the sample is not mixed. Another limitation is that excess urine extracted can cause spillage of the pads thus the reagents of the adjacent pads mixes with the distorting colors (Thomas, Javier, & Espina. 2006, p.60). The pad could also be disrupted causing a false positive. The advantage of the sol-gel biosensor is that it can easily detect non polar molecules that can cause kidney failure and that do not respond to most measurement devices; other methods take a long time to discover the kidney failure at the time when it has already advanced causing permanent to the kidney. These sensors are also specific as the immobilized...
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...inhabitants of sub-Saharan Africa who lack access to safe-drinking water and only 19 out of the 50 countries in that area are on track to meet Target 7c (Bain, 2012, p.228; Ramirez-Djumena, 2012, p.32). Without access to clean drinking water, the inhabitants in these areas are more susceptible to water-born diseases. The World Health Organization reported that due a lack of access to clean water, “1.6 million people die every year from diarrhoeal diseases … and 90% are children under 5, in developing countries” ("Health through safe drinking water and basic sanitation," n.d.). Not only is access to clean, safe water a matter of public health, but it is the cause of conflicts in some areas. The Nile River is the cause of conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia currently. The Blue Nile is the biggest tributary to the...
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...Conflict and the Environment The African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) military escort for UNEP fieldwork near El Geneina, Western Darfur. Intense competition over declining natural resources is one of the underlying causes of the ongoing conflict. SUDAN POST-CONFLICT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Conflict and the Environment 4.1 Introduction and assessment activities 2. an overview of the role of natural resources in the instigation and continuation of historical and current conflicts, listing the major resources of concern and focusing specifically on conflicts involving rangelands and rain-fed agricultural land; and 3. a brief environmental impact assessment of the various conflicts, evaluating the direct and indirect impacts of conflict on Sudan’s environment. Chronic environmental problems are covered in other chapters, though it should be noted that at the local level, the boundary between chronic and conflict-related environmental issues is often unclear. Assessment activities The assessment of conflict-related issues was an integral part of fieldwork throughout the country. In addition, UNEP carried out a number of specific activities, including: Introduction Sudan has been wracked by civil war and regional strife for most of the past fifty years, and at the time of finalizing this report, in June 2007, a major conflict rages on in Darfur. At the same time, Sudan suffers from a number of severe environmental problems, both within and outside current and historical conflict-affected...
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...Zale’s Case Study Zale’s is an organization that has shown significant increase and decreases over its lifetime. Zale’s is a specialty retail jewelry corporation that only focuses on the best of jewelry. A lot of Zale’s ups and downs have to do with the economic situation. When the economy is booming the jewelry is on the rise but, when the economy is struggling, jewelry is usually the first to be hit. In this case I think that Zale should try to reach out to some of the less fortunate folks. Zale’s operates stores in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Canada. They employ approximately 16,900 employees in 2,394 of their stores. Although Zale’s is the largest specialty retail corporation, they have suffered to maintain their dominance in the industry. There are several reasons why Zale’s is not leading their competition. One reason is because of their organizational structure. They lack with consistent leadership because of the often changes of CEO’s. They also lack on their focus strategy. Before they become the most dominating jewelry corporation they must first figure out which way they are going to lead their company and who is going to lead them to the promise land. They are going in a new direction when Neil Goldberg became CEO in 2007. I feel that if Goldberg can provide a stable structure and have everyone buy into his leadership, that he will have the company going in the right direction. Along with the leadership problems Zale’s also have external and competitors to...
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...Case Study: Hartford Jewelers What have we done? Dad would know what to do, but I don't. I really thought growing this business would be an easy thing for us, but now I am not so sure. All of the work that we did in 2005 was supposed to set us up for new success, profits, and a bright future. But now, we are showing losses on both the historical investment and on our modernization and expansion. Gretchen Reeves was talking in early February 2008 with her sister and partner Michaela Hurd after receiving preliminary income statements for Hartford Jewelers for fiscal year 2007 which had ended December 31, 2007 (See Exhibit 1). In a new building, just renovated in 2006, with 50% more space and selling staff than ever before, the business had experienced a loss almost double the income of the last "normal" year, 2005. To Gretchen, this did not bode well for the future. When Grandfather died, the store was left to his only son, who had literally grown up in the store to become his father's partner in the business. That son was the father of both Gretchen and Michaela. Another child, their brother James, had shunned the business to study medicine and surgery. The girls, however, followed in their father's footsteps and grew up in the store, learning the business. At the death of their father in 2002, the three children inherited the business as equal partners, and by agreement with James, Gretchen and Michaela took over the management of the business and store. At the...
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...CHAPTER 6 POPULATION GENETICS SELECTION 1. Which of the following options factually completes the statement, "If a population is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium..."? a. There can be no more than two alleles. b. The two alleles will be present at equal frequency. c. Allele frequencies will not change from one generation to the next. d. The dominant allele will be more common. |Correct Answer: |C, Allele frequencies will not change from one generation to the next. | [pic] 2. If allele frequencies do not change from one generation to the next, is the population definitely in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium? Why or why not? No, it might not be in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Any process that selectively targets heterozygotes can affect genotype frequencies without necessarily changing allele frequencies in the next generation. Examples are nonrandom mating, overdominance, and underdominance. [pic] 3. The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium principle yields which of the following conclusions? a. If the allele frequencies in a population are given by p and q, the genotype frequencies are given by p2, 2 pq and q2. b. The allele frequencies in a population will not change over time. c. If the allele frequencies in a population are given by p and q, the genotype frequencies are given by p2 and q2. d. The first and third answers are correct. e. The first and second choices are correct. |Correct Answer:...
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...Describe bartering and negotiating online. 8. Define m-commerce and explain its role as a market mechanism. 9. Discuss competition in the digital economy. 10. Describe the impact of e-marketplaces on organizations and industries. CHAPTER Content How Blue Nile Inc. Is Changing the Jewelry Industry 2.1 E-Marketplaces 2.2 Types of E-Marketplaces: From Storefronts to Portals 2.3 Transactions, Intermediation, and Processes in E-Commerce 2.4 Electronic Catalogs and Other Market Mechanisms 2.5 Auctions as EC Market Mechanisms 2.6 Bartering and Negotiating Online 2.7 E-Commerce in the Wireless Environment: M-Commerce and L-Commerce 2.8 Competition in the Digital Economy and Its Impact on Industries 2.9 Impacts of EC on Business Processes and Organizations Managerial Issues Real-World Case: Wal-Mart Leads RFID Adoption Appendix 2A: Build-to-Order Production ISBN: 0-558-13856-X 42 Electronic Commerce 2008: A Managerial Perspective, by Efraim Turban, David King, Judy McKay, Peter Marshall, Jae Lee, and Dennis Viehland. Published by Prentice Hall. Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. M02_TURB3315_05_SE_C02.QXD 9/4/07 7:54 PM Page 43 EC Application HOW BLUE NILE INC. IS CHANGING THE JEWELRY INDUSTRY Blue Nile Inc. (bluenile.com), a pure-play...
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...Jet Blue Airways case study Introductіon Twelve years ago JetBlue was a breath of fresh air in an airline industry bogged down by the ways of legacy carriers that were unconcerned with customer service and known for price gouging. JetBlue was revolutionary. With a fleet of new planes -- all Airbus A320s, which cut down on repair costs -- a staff that worked primarily from home, and 40% of ticket sales executed online, the company emerged as the premier low-cost carrier focused on providing extra-friendly, efficient service (LaMotta, 2010). Jet blue was a discount airline carrier that offered passengers low fares; operated point-to-point systems; used two types of aircraft; served only snacks; and maintained quick turnaround times at airports. Its operating costs were low, especially compared to those of other major U.S. airline companies. In the first quarter of 2008, for example, JetBlue’s total operating expenses amounted to 12.77 cents per revenue passenger mile, compared to 20.95 cents per revenue passenger mile for Delta and 13.85 cents per revenue passenger mile for Southwest (Michael, 2010). According to (Enterprise, 2011) JetBlue Airways is a low-cost passenger airline that provides customer service primarily on point-to-point routes. The company primarily operates in the US. It is headquartered in Forest Hills, New York and employs 12,532 people. The company recorded revenues of $3,286 million during the financial...
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