... M.D., Chief Nephrologist of Lakeside’s Renal Division, concerning a change in Medicare’s payment policies for hemodialysis treatments. Recently, Medicare had begun paying independent dialysis clinics for standard dialysis treatments, and the change in policy had caused patient volume in Lakeside’s dialysis unit to decrease to about 50 percent of capacity, producing a corresponding increase in per-treatment costs. By February of the current fiscal year, Dr. Lawrence and Lakeside’s Medical Director were considering closing the hospital’s dialysis unit. Dr. Newell, who had been Chief Nephrologist since he’d helped establish the unit, was op- posed to closing it. Although he was impressed by the quality of care that independent centers of- fered, he was convinced that Lakeside’s unit was necessary for providing back-up and emergency services for the outpatient centers, as well as for treatment for some of the hospital’s seriously ill inpatients. Furthermore, although the unit could not achieve the low costs of the independent cen- ters, he disagreed with Dr. Lawrence’s cost figure of $425 per treatment. He resolved to prepare his own cost analysis for their next meeting. BACKGROUND Approximately twenty years ago, at Dr. Newell’s initiative, Lakeside had opened the dialysis unit, largely in response to the growing number of patients with chronic kidney disease. The hospi- tal’s renal division had long provided acute renal failure care and...
Words: 1241 - Pages: 5
...The MRSI Code of Conduct The MRSI Code of Conduct BASIC PRINCIPLES Marketing and social research depend upon public confidence that the research is conducted honestly, objectively, without unwelcome intrusion and without disadvantage to informants, and that it is based upon the willing co-operation of the public. The general public and anyone else interested shall be entitled to complete assurance that every marketing research project is carried out strictly in accordance with this code, and that their rights of privacy are respected. In particular, members of the general public must be assured absolutely that personal and/or confidential information supplied during the course of a marketing research study will not be made available without their agreement to any individual or organisation, whether private or of ficial, outside the researcher's own organisation (as laid down in Section C), and that such information will not be used for any purpose other than marketing research. Research should also be conducted according to accepted principles of fair competition, as generally understood and accepted, and to high technical standards. Marketing and social researchers should always be prepared to make available the necessary information whereby the quality of their work and the validity of their findings can be adequately assessed. DEFINITIONS In this Code: a) The terms Marketing Research is defined as the systematic collection and objective recording, classification...
Words: 4525 - Pages: 19
...physiological reductant will be conducted with NifF; however, future work may extend to other electron donors integral for nitrogen fixation in A. vinelandii. Preliminary data Substrate reduction experiments demonstrate that NifF Fld has a significant increase on acetylene reduction under conditions more representative of physiological flux in comparison to DT (Figure 4). Furthermore, pre-steady state electron transfer experiments show that the observed rate constant (kobs) for dithionite reduction is significantly slower than Fe protein reduction by Fld (Table 1). ATP hydrolysis plays an integral role in nitrogenase catalysis, and the presence or absence of nucleotides affects the redox potential of Fe protein. The midpoint potentials, Em (Feox/Fered), are as follows: No nucleotide -290 mV; MgADP -440 mV; MgATP -430 mV (14). In the presence of nucleotides, the kobs for electron transfer by DT is reduced 120- to 170-fold; whereas, the observed rate constant for Fld is similar among the conditions tested. These data suggest that redox potential is likely contributing to the reduction of Fe protein by DT; whereas, protein-protein interactions are playing a role in Fld electron transfer. To further understand the importance of the interaction between Fld and Fe protein, modeling studies were performed and potential salt bridges between the two proteins identified (Figure 5). D154 (Fld) and R140 (Fe protein), in particular, appear to have a critical interaction. It is hypothesized that changing...
Words: 1260 - Pages: 6
...Polybius: "Why Romans and Not Greeks Govern the World", c. 140 BCE ________________________________________ Polybius (c. 200 - 110s BCE) was born into a prominent family in Greece and served as a leader in the Third Macedonian War against Rome. After losing to Rome in the Battle of Pydna (168 BCE), he was deported, along with 1000 other Greeks, to and held captive in Italy. Despite his status as an enemy detainee, Polybius became a friend of the family of Scipio Aemilianus, one of Rome's most remarkable and well-connected politicians. In honor of his new home and new associates, Polybius composed a history of Rome's rise to world power in the course of his own lifetime. As an outsider, Polybius may have misinterpreted Rome's imperialistic moves in the Mediterranean, and he may have exaggerated the organizational genius of the Republic and its leaders. However, his famous analysis of Rome's "mixed constitution" has influenced political thinkers for centuries, and it was standard reading in the Age of Enlightenment, when the American Constitution was created. It is important to remember, however, that the Roman Republic, unlike that of the United States, did not have a standard document that could be used as a reference; the word "constitution" in Rome's case was meant in a general, non-textual sense, as the "make-up" or "organization" of Rome's public affairs. Source: Polybius, Historiarum reliquiae (Paris: Didot, 1839), VI, iii-xvii, 338-48, passim; trans. and condensed...
Words: 2140 - Pages: 9
...WHY GOOD LEADERS MAKE BAD Neuroscience reveals what distorts a leader’s judgment. Here’s how you can keep your own judgment clear. BY ANDREW CAMPBELL, JO WHITEHEAD, AND SYDNEY FINKELSTEIN 6 0 Harvard Business Review 1827 Feb09 Campbell layout.indd 60 | February 2009 | DECISION MAKING lies at the heart of our personal and professional lives. Every day we make decisions. Some are small, domestic, and innocuous. Others are more important, affecting people’s lives, livelihoods, and well-being. Inevitably, we make mistakes along the way. The daunting reality is that enormously important decisions made by intelligent, responsible people with the best information and intentions are sometimes hopelessly flawed. Consider Jürgen Schrempp, CEO of Daimler-Benz. He led the merger of Chrysler and Daimler against internal opposition. Nine years later, Daimler was forced to virtually give Chrysler away in a private equity deal. Steve Russell, chief executive of Boots, the Shout DECISIONS hbr.org 1/5/09 4:28:42 PM hbr.org 1827 Feb09 Campbell layout.indd 61 | February 2009 | Harvard Business Review 61 1/5/09 4:28:52 PM Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions IDEA put all this in context, however, we first UK drugstore chain, launched a health IN BRIEF need to understand just how the hucare strategy designed to differentiate man brain forms its judgments. the stores from competitors and grow » Leaders...
Words: 4216 - Pages: 17
...SUMMER 2007 V O L . 4 8 N O. 4 Arvind Sahay How to Reap Higher Profits With Dynamic Pricing Please note that gray areas reflect artwork that has been intentionally removed. The substantive content of the article appears as originally published. REPRINT NUMBER 48415 pricing How to Reap Higher Profits With Dynamic Pricing S un Microsystems Inc. chairman Scott McNealy forecast that “With recent advances in wireless and information technology, even our cars could … call for bids whenever the fuel tank runs low, displaying a list of results from nearby gas stations right on the dashboard.”1 It sounds far-fetched. But dynamic pricing — where prices respond to supply and demand pressures in real time or near-real time — is making inroads in many different sectors, including apparel, automobiles, consumer electronics, personal services (such as haircuts), telecommunications and second-hand goods. The advent of the Internet led to cost transparency, decreased search costs and ease of price comparison. Some observers concluded that as a result, prices would decrease and equalize across different channels, and that fixed prices would continue to be the norm.2 However, price dispersion continues to be widespread and dynamic pricing is entering new sectors. EBay Inc. used auctions to sell more than $20 billion worth of goods in 2005. Ford Motor Co. sold more than $50 billion worth of automobiles in North America with demand-based DP in 2003...
Words: 6384 - Pages: 26
...point of view of what economic analysis would lead us to expect and on the basis of evidence from actual amnesty programs. The empirical analy- sis is based on detailed information gath- ered on a random sample of taxpayers participating in the Michigan amnesty, and on fragmentary evidence we have been *Michigan State University, East Iiming, MI 48824 able to gather on amnesties in other states. In our view, information about the types of taxpayers (or nontaxpayers) who par- ticipate in amnesties and the circum- stances that lead them to participate can be of considerable use in evaluating the effects of amnesties and for predicting the prospects for a federal tax amnesty from the state results. Under a tax amnesty, taxpayers are of- fered an opportunity to come forward dur- ing a specified period of time and pay pre- I 15 unpaid taxes. The carrot viousiy encouraging participation is usually for- giveness of at least some penalties that could have been assessed on the overdue taxes. Typically there is also a stick-the promise of harsher penalties for evasion and stepped-up detection efforts to follow the amnesty. To the extent that evasion is a product of rational decision-making, we argue below that it is difficult to imagine that a tax amnesty can generate substantial revenue in...
Words: 7146 - Pages: 29
...SUMMER 2007 V O L . 4 8 N O. 4 SMR254 Arvind Sahay How to Reap Higher Profits With Dynamic Pricing Please note that gray areas reflect artwork that has been intentionally removed. The substantive content of the This document article appears as originally published.is authorized for use only by Neelu Bhullar at MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE until REPRINT July 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. NUMBER 48415 pricing How to Reap Higher Profits With DynamicPricing un Microsystems Inc. chairman Scott McNealy forecast that “With recent advances in wireless and information technology, even our cars could … call for bids whenever the fuel tank runs low, displaying a list of results from nearby gas stations right on the dashboard.”1 It sounds far-fetched. But dynamic pricing — where prices respond to supply and demand pressures in real time or near-real time — is making inroads in many different sectors, including apparel, automobiles, consumer electronics, personal services (such as haircuts), telecommunications and second-hand goods. The advent of the Internet led to cost transparency, decreased search costs and ease of price comparison. Some observers concluded that as a result, prices would decrease and equalize across different channels, and that fixed prices would continue to be the norm.2 However, price dispersion continues to be widespread and dynamic pricing is entering...
Words: 6717 - Pages: 27
...Changing Channels: The Impact of the Internet on Distribution Strategy Leyland Pitt, Pierre Berthon, and Jean-Paul Berthon I n simple markets of old, producers of goods or services dealt directly with the consumers of those offerings. In some modern businessto-business markets, suppliers also interact on a face-to-face basis with their customers. In most contemporary markets, however, mass production and consumption have lured intermediaries into the junction between buyer and seller. These intermediaries have either taken title to the goods or services during the flow from producer to customer, or in some way facilitated this by specializing in one or more of the functions that must be performed for such movement to occur. These flows of title and functions, and the intermediaries w h o have facilitated them, have generally come to be known as distribution channels. For most marketing decision makers, dealing with the channel for a product or service ranks as one of the key marketing quandaries. In many cases, despite what the textbooks suggest, there is frequently no real decision as to "who" should constitute the channel; rather, the question is how best to deal with the incumbent channel. Marketing channel decisions are critical also because they intimately affect all other marketing and overall strategic decisions, Distribution channels generally involve relatively long-term commitments, but if managed effectively over time, they create a key external resource. Small...
Words: 7292 - Pages: 30
...Executive Summary Megatrends affect the whole economy over years. In 2014, the new business of streaming started in Europe. People get the chance to influence their own televi-sion program. Most TVs have the ability to install applications, like Netflix. Older screens can be updated by a small hardware player to get this capability. Usually living room video entertainment is done by traditional companies like the RTL group. The customer can switch the channels, but is not able to choose his program by a remote click. Netflix is the pioneer and market leader in the US in streaming and offers shows and movies by video on demand. New streaming companies will mix up the tradi-tional market. A kind of quantum leap infects the television screen. The conver-gence of technologies combines an internet stream on the classic television. Traditional companies, like RTL, should consider following a different another strategic management course than for example Netflix. This assignment analyzes the streaming market, the forces, threats and opportu-nities as a Macro Environment Analysis. It’s a fast growing business and has a huge potential. The company Netflix is screened by a Micro Environment Analysis to show their portfolio and key figures. In the targeting and positioning part, a possible way of a strategic corporate management is developed, by references on the analysis of Porter’s three generic strategies, Ansoff and Mintzberg. For the final conclusion the current strategy...
Words: 7929 - Pages: 32
...Seoul Journal of Business Volume 10, Number 1 (June 2004) Transformation of Korean HRM based on Confucian Values Jong-Tae Choi* College of Business Administration Seoul National University Abstract This study aims to find out the role of the Confucian family value in the process of the transformation of Korean HRM and IR in a hypercompetition period. I analyzed the characteristics and the transformation of Korean companies’ HRM as well as the core value system of Confucian familism. I suggest that a successful transformation of HRM in Korean companies requires an interplay between two factors. First is the genetic factor based on traditional Confucian culture of Korea (i.e., the DNA of Korean HRM), of which its advantages must be respected and preserved. Second factor is an adaptation ability, which modifies its own core competency and routine through an interaction with the environment. Korean HRM stands at a turning point now. The Korean economy is facing a hyper-competition in the global market. To survive, Korean companies have to improve their competitiveness. Also they must solve the problem of seniority-based HRM of Confucian values that hinders their competitiveness. To confront an inevitable transformation of the management system, Korean companies tried to solve the problem by bringing in a rapid growth process of North American HRM practices. But, unanticipated side effect has occurred in this process. As American HRM was uniformly adopted, traditional teamwork...
Words: 8555 - Pages: 35
...The Behavior Analyst 1995, 18, 173-185 No. 1 (Spring) Encore "Reinforcement" in Behavior Theory William N. Schoenfeld Queens College, City University of New York, and Cornell University Medical College In its Pavlovian context, "reinforcement" was actually a descriptive term for the functional relation between an unconditional and a conditional stimulus. When it was adopted into operant conditioning, "reinforcement" became the central concept and the key operation, but with new qualifications, new referents, and new expectations. Some behavior theorists believed that "reinforcers" comprise a special and limited class of stimuli or events, and they speculated about what the essential "nature of reinforcement" might be. It is now known that any stimulus can serve a reinforcing function, with due recognition of such parameters as subject species characteristics, stimulus intensity, sensory modality, and schedule of application. This paper comments on these developments from the standpoint of reflex behavior theory. From its modest beginnings in behavior science, the term "reinforcement" has come to play a central role in modern behavior theory. Like so many others in psychology, the verb "to reinforce," and its cognate nouns and adjectives, were an importation from common usage in which they had seen broad service: reinforced concrete; reinforcing a conclusion; reinforcing a fence; and so on. In acquiring their new dignity in science, they have also acquired some status...
Words: 8155 - Pages: 33
...Growing Pains by Robert D. Nicoson “I’m challenged and motivated where I am, and I like the company. You know that. But I’ve got to say I’m interested in the opportunity you’re describing because of the money and the equity position. For those reasons alone, it’s tough to pass by. Let me think about it some more and call you in the morning. Thanks, Les.” That was the extent of the conversation Cyrus Maher, CEO of Waterway Industries, overheard when he came around the corner just outside of Lee Carter’s office. She must have been talking with Les Finch, Maher thought. Here’s trouble. Of course, it didn’t necessarily mean any- thing, Maher told himself as he passed the of- fice, waving to Carter. Finch, a well-connected marketing consultant, had been the match- maker between Carter and Waterway Indus- tries to begin with. With the company in the fourth quarter of its best year ever, he certainly wouldn’t be encouraging her to leave. Would he? Maher got a cup of coffee in the company’s first floor kitchenette and deliberately took the long way back to his office, through the design room. As always, the atmosphere was upbeat, but these days he also thought he could detect a sense of purpose that had never before been a part of Waterway’s organization. Founded in 1963 in Lake Placid, New York, Waterway had started out as a small, high- quality canoe maker. Over the years, it had built a good reputation all through the North- east and had acquired a base of customers in the...
Words: 8434 - Pages: 34
...* there must be some proof and not mere opinion in the shape of a statement. * ---Names of accused were not mentioned in F.I.R. nor description of their features or their stature was given---Accused had not been identified and their identification test took place two- months after incident---Alleged identification of accused was based on flashing of torch light which was a weak form of identification. * When material on record was not showing as to which accused caused fatal injury leaving room for consideration regarding common intention of other accused, such case called for further enquiry- * ---Assessment of evidence ---Principle---Deeper appreciation of record cannot be gone into at bail stage, but only its tentative Assessment is to be made just to find out as to whether the accused is, prima facie, connected with the commission of crime or not. * ---No final findings could be given regarding plea of alibi at bail stage, as same would require recording of evidence ---Tentative Assessment of such plea, could be made, if it was found that accused had succeeded in establishing an opposite version then the case of accused would become one of further inquiry and on that score, accused would become entitled to the concession of bail. * one of accused was shown as armed with dagger, while other with Kalashinikov---Injuries sustained by the complainant were blunt which could be the result of danda attributed to absconding accused---No role seemed of accused persons...
Words: 11061 - Pages: 45
...Michael C. Knapp Cases in Auditing , 2003 Ethics case enron corporation John and Mary Andersen immigrated to the United States from their native Nor-way in 1881. The young couple made their way to the small farming community of Piano, Illinois, some 40 miles southwest of downtown Chicago. Over the pre-vious few decades, hundreds of Norwegian families had settled in Piano and sur-rounding communities. In fact, the aptly named Norway, Illinois, was located just a few miles away from the couple's new hometown. In 1885, Arthur Edward An-dersen was born. From an early age, the Andersens' son had a fascination with numbers. Little did his parents realize that Arthur's interest in numbers would become the driving force in his life. Less than one century after he was born, an accounting firm bearing Arthur Andersen's name would become the world's largest professional services organization with more than 1,000 partners and op-erations in dozens of countries scattered across the globe. think straight, talk straight Discipline, honesty, and a strong work ethic were three key traits that John and Mary Andersen instilled in their son. The Andersens also constantly impressed upon him the importance of obtaining an education. Unfortunately, Arthur's par-ents did not survive to help him achieve that goal. Orphaned by the time he was a young teenager, Andersen was forced to take a full-time job as a mail clerk and attend night classes to work his way through high school...
Words: 11288 - Pages: 46
