Cialis Case Study Marking Scheme Essay Example for Free

Cialis Case Study Marking Scheme Essay Question 1 (25 Marks Total): According to information provided in the case, identify 3 main ED market segments. Describe each segment’s characteristics, including opportunities and barriers for adoption. Focus on key ED segments essential for future marketing campaign, as opposed to all possible segments. If sufficient information is provided in the case, identify potential size of the segment. -Correctly identifying demographics/age as a segment (2 marks) -Discuss main each age sub-group 20-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60+ segments (2 marks) and main barriers/opportunities to Cialis adoption: ED as a normal part of aging vs. waiting for condition to go away (2 marks); reasonably justified additional factors (up to 2 marks) -Correctly identifying Viagra usage status as a segment (2 marks) -Estimating size of Current Viagra Users/Viagra Drop-outs/Never tried Viagra segments – (1 mark) -Describing main barriers/opportunities to Cialis adoption by each sub-group: focus on willingness to try Cialis dimensions (2 marks); possible reasons for dropping Viagra use (2 marks); reasonably justified additional factors (up to 2 marks) -Correctly identifying Benefit of Duration as a segment (2 marks) -Describing main barriers/opportunities to Cialis adoption by each sub-group of prior Viagra users drop-outs vs. current users and those who have not tried Viagra (4 marks); reasonably justified additional factors (up to 2 marks) -Partial marks awarded for ED market segments not mentioned above and a convincing argument/description for such segment’s importance (up to 6 marks) Question 2 (10 Marks Total) – Discuss evolution of the Viagra brand, how it is positioned on the market vs. public’s perception of the brand and resulting opportunities for Cialis -Discuss early endorsement by Bob Dole and positioning (ie ED is a serious disease, targeting older age segment) (3 marks), followed by Mark Martin and change in targeting/brand messaging (associating Viagra with success and excitement, targeting younger age group) (3 marks) -Discuss the image of Viagra in popular culture and opportunities for Cialis (ridiculing public images creating barriers for men to overcome; partner perceives that her husband’s desire is a result of taking the pill, not genuine desire) (4 marks). Question (3) (20 Marks Total): Describe Pro’s and Con’s of positioning Cialis (1) vertically based on duration of benefit and (2) horizontally based on attitudes toward sex. For this question, consider potential success with each market segment described in Question 1 and discuss differences in profiles of Cialis vs. Viagra. Consider whether each positioning increases demand in general or converts Viagra users. -Pro’s and con’s of Vertical positioning based on ’36 hours vs. 4’ hours. Should include the following: oConvenience/Spontaneity/Week-ends (1 Mark) oEconomics/Frequency (1 Mark) oPotential safety concerns (1 Mark) oNo interaction with high-fat meals (1 Mark) oOr other factors, justified (up to 2 Marks) oEffective use of information provided in the case, particularly in-depth interviews to justify position (2 Marks) oEffective analysis of appeal to each segment (3 Marks) oEffect on demand (1 Mark) -Pro’s and con’s of Horizontal Positioning based on attitude towards sex for Cialis vs. Viagra. Should include the following: oRomantic lifestyle (1 Mark) oExcitement/success (1 Mark) oMore natural sex dynamics for couples (1 Mark) oHero-enabler/Man is the hero vs. the pill being hero (1 Mark) oOr other factors, justified (up to 2 Marks) oEffective use of information provided in the case, particularly in-depth interviews to justify position (2 Marks) oEffective analysis of appeal to each segment (3 Marks) oEffect on demand (1 Mark) QUESTION 4 (35 Marks Total) – By answering each of the sub-questions 1 through 5, discuss how you would launch Cialis into the market, paying careful attention to the fact that incumbent may create certain barriers to overcome; consider benefits for Cialis market share vs. the entire category and fit with each market segment. 1)Briefly state your marketing strategy (horizontal vs. vertical); summarize your product positioning and launch strategy (5 Marks Total) 2)Describe your chosen product attributes in the context of your positioning (hint: describe only attributes you can control: color, packaging, name, etc) (5 Marks Total) 3)Describe your pricing strategy and provide annual per customer revenue estimate (13 Marks total) -Analysis pricing target and market segments (5 Marks) -Analysis for pricing above/below Viagra (5 Marks) oFactors that should be covered: ï‚ §Price image effects ï‚ §Economic benefit to patient ï‚ §Consumer willingness to pay ï‚ §Impact of coverage by Health Plans -Per Customer Revenue Estimate (3 Marks Total): oEstimate revenue based on patient pills per year and proposed price (2 Marks) taking into account dropouts (1 Mark) or other relevant factors (up to 1 Mark) 4)Describe primary aspects of your launch strategy with respect to Pull vs. Push marketing (7 Marks Total). -Analysis should include the following factors: oAnalysis of relevant physician behavior – urologists vs. generalists; doctors may refuse prescriptions and do not initiate treatment oAnalysis of relevant consumer behavior oRole of partners oProduct promotions, other means to encourage trying Cialis oSales force requirements oConsistency with each target market and positioning 5)Describe your Communication Strategy (5 Marks Total) oAnalysis should include the following factors: ï‚ §Communication to each market segment ï‚ §Communicating to patients, partners, Viagra users, and physicians ï‚ §Which mediums should be deployed ï‚ §Who should be featured in adds, what age group(s), gender ï‚ §Event sponsorships and/or endorsements QUESTION 5 (10 Marks Total): Given your responses in Question 4 and by responding to sub-questions 1 and 2, discuss how Pfizer may respond to your Cialis positioning and how this may be addressed post product launch (7 marks); Discuss how Cialis could anticipate and respond to introduction of Levitra by GSK (3 marks). 1)Discuss how Pfizer may respond to Cialis positioning (7 marks) oAnalysis should include the following factors: ï‚ §Most likely response(s) from Pfizer ï‚ §Viagra’s long presence in the market ï‚ §Promotions/discounts on Viagra ï‚ §Thoughtful argument how Cialis camp might respond oDiscuss how Cialis could anticipate and prepare introduction of Levitra by GSK (3 marks). oAnalysis should include the following factors: ï‚ §Levitra profile ï‚ §Most likely positioning by GSK ï‚ §Response, if any, by Cialis camp

Strategy-evaluation Framework for Mattel

Strategy-evaluation Framework for Mattel 1.0 Strategy Review, Evaluation, and Control The best-formulated and best-implemented strategies become obsolete as a firms external and internal environments change. It is essential, therefore, that strategists systematically review, evaluate, and control the execution of strategies. We have developed a general strategy-evaluation framework for Mattel: Reviewing bases of strategy Measuring organizational performance Taking corrective actions Besides that, we will introduce balanced scorecard as another strategy-evaluation tool to analyze Mattel from few areas of objectives: customers, managers/employees, investors/shareholders, operations/processes, community/social responsibility, and financials. 1.1 General Strategy-Evaluation Framework 1.1.1 Reviewing bases of strategy Reviewing the underlying bases of Mattels strategy could be approached by developing a revised EFE Matrix and IFE Matrix. As being well described and analyzed in Chapter 3 and 4 of this report, here, we will revise EFE and IFE Matrix to review and evaluate how effective Mattels strategies have been in response to key external and internal factors. External Factors Opportunities Mattel has a chance to market Barbie to the whole world and make it a recognizable brand worldwide. This has been proven that Mattel tries its best to improve its marketing strategies to penetrate different market segments and strive for stable revenue annually from international market. Weakening dollar makes the price of Mattels toys becomes more affordable. It is helpful in increase its revenue. To take this advantage, in fact, Mattel has reduced the selling price of its products in some countries. Threats Many children start abandoning tangible toys and looking for more interactive and technological toys or cyber/virtual games. That was why Mattel tried to diversify into software industry. However, until now, its result is not satisfactory. One of the reasons is, the adopted strategies are not matched with its corporate culture or operations. Global recession caused reduced spending or down trading for toys. This is inevitable despite how much effort has been made to stimulate the revenue. However, if Mattel is able to make it more affordable and create a need for customers, it might change its situation. However, strategies should be well developed. Different countries with different cultures and languages in fact have posed barriers which hindered market penetration strategies of Mattel. However, Mattel seemed to have overcome them well as it tried to market its products with different languages in different countries and modified the content of ads with some â€Å"local flavors†. Many other competitors keep coming out with different and better products, such high product substitution threat might threaten the competitive position of Mattel. Therefore, Mattel is particularly cautious with its product quality and safety issues. However, there was still an outbreak of toxic toy which caused few millions loss to Mattel. Due to the emergence of China market and since many production plants have been setup in China, raw materials are subject to price fluctuation when the economy of China appears to be unstable. To overcome this, possibly, Mattel can locate its plants at many different countries. The downfall in one country might be offset by the upturn of another country. Internal Factors Strengths With successful operational and marketing strategies, Barbie has been known as a long established brand for 60 years. With recognizable brand portfolio and wide product range to cater various life stage, in fact, Mattel has safeguarded its market leader position for years. One of the strategies is to have new product launch annually, so that, customers will have â€Å"surprise† every year. Such strategies are considered successful. With the effort and perseverance in maintaining business integrity and practicing corporate social responsibility, it has brought much credit to the reputation of Mattel. Despite the scandals, Mattel does have a group of loyal supporters and fans who will purchase new products of Mattel. Such strategy of creating loyalty and trust in customers is very effective in customer retention. Since Mattel has strategic partnership with Microsoft, Disney, BanDai and etc, this created an invincible strength for it. As there are so many other strong rivals who strive to win market share from Mattel, Mattel tries to form a strong alliance with other strong companies in the market. Devoted, highly-motivated and energetic management team which works together to make better and better products and performance and stay together during doom time, this shows that Mattel has a successful HR strategy which retains experienced and outstanding employees in the corporation. Since early year, Mattel has been keeping its intangible assets as its valuables, such as trade names and trademarks. That is why it has a particular department which deals with this issue. Weaknesses Unprofitable mergers and acquisitions of the Learning Company had made a loss of nearly billion in Mattels account. Although eventually Mattel sold off this subsidiary, this reduced the confidence of investors as Mattels management is perceived as too reckless in MA strategy. Due to many external changes, slipping popularity of their core product – Barbie has been shown in the declining sales of its product. Therefore, Mattel keeps coming out with new products to retain the interest and passion of customers. After the outbreak of toxic toys scandal, generally, the level of acceptance of customers has dropped. No doubt, Mattel has been striving to give the customers the best products, in terms of quality, safety, and etc, however, such an incident is nearly fatal to the reputation and future of Mattel. No matter how good the strategies are, one scandal might ruin the company as a whole. 1.1.2 Measuring organizational performance This includes comparing expected results to actual results, investigating deviations from plans, evaluating individual performance, and examining progress being made toward meeting stated objectives. Both long-term and annual objectives are commonly used in this process. Criteria for evaluating strategies should be measurable and easily verifiable. Generally, strategy evaluation is based on both quantitative and qualitative criteria. For quantitative criteria, financial ratios are commonly used. There are three critical comparisons: Comparing the firms performance over different time periods Comparing the firms performance to competitors Comparing the firms performance to industry averages Mattels performance over different time periods has been well explained in Chapter 7. Overall, Mattel is able to maintain its financial ratios over years. It only has slight increase or decrease occurred. Therefore, internally, we may say Mattel is financially stable and strong over years. Even during economic crisis period, it was still able to maintain its financial performance at a satisfactory level. On the other hand, to compare the performance of Mattel to that of competitors and also industry averages, two main competitors, namely, Hasbro Inc. (HAS) and Jakks Pac Inc. (Jak) have been identified and served as a benchmark to compare the performance of Mattel Inc. (Mat). From the table below, it is obvious that Mattel is the market leader of this industry which having splendid financial performance as compared to its main competitors. By looking at its valuation, profitability, dividend, growth, liquidity and asset ratios, Mattel is far better than competitors and industry averages. In short, based on quantitative criteria, Mattels performance takes a leading position which created core competency for its sustainability and survival. However, it may guarantee long-term success if it does not proactively improve itself. Year 2008 MAT HAS JAKK Industry Averages Valuation Price/Earnings (TTM) 15.24 14.58 1.52 12.78 Price/Cash Flow 10.73 7.83 10.07 9.54 Price/Sales (TTM) 0.98 1.13 0.75 0.95 Price/Book 2.66 2.46 1.06 2.06 Per Share Data Last Dividend 70.09 42.11 0 37.40 Book Value 5.88 9.3 11.66 1.95 EPS (TTM) 1.07 1.9 -12.8 -3.28 Revenue 5.91 B 4.02 B 903.39 M 3.61 B Profitability EBIDTA 742.00 M 654.33 M 101.79 M 499.37 M Operating Margin 9.74% 12.29% 1.85% 10.29% Profit Margin 6.41% 7.63% 1.42% 7.49% Gross Profit Margin 45.19% 55.96% 35.56% 45.57% Dividend Dividend Yield 4.18% 2.96% 0.00% 2.38% Payout Ratio 70.09 42.11 0 37.40 Dividend Yield 5 Year Average 3.33% 2.07% 0.00% 1.80% Growth Net Income 379.63 M 306.76 M 76.05 M 254.15 M EPS (TTM) 1.07% 1.90% -12.80% -3.28% Revenue 5.91 B 4.02 B 903.39 M 3.61 B PEG 1.56% 1.44% 1.71% 1.57% Financial Strength Quick Ratio (MRQ) 6.41 7.63 1.42 7.49 Current Ratio (MRQ) 2.06 2.61 2.09 2.25 Long Term Debt to Equity Ratio (MRQ) 32.72 81.65 0 31.12 Total Debt to Capital (MRQ) 29.83 34.03 11.64 25.17 ROE 17.32 21.24 9.47 16.01 ROA 10.9 9.67 -46.98 -1.80 ROIC (Return on Invested Capital) 13.8 15.52 9.5 12.94 Assets Asset Turnover 1.43 1.29 0.88 1.20 Asset per Employee 143,123.72 528,095.93 1.03 M 0.57 M Inventory Turnover 6.72 5.74 6.79 6.42 Apart from quantitative criteria, there are some qualitative criteria needed to be taken into consideration. These criteria are presented in question forms, including the following questions: * Is the hiring and recruitment process matched with the strategy? Among the workers working at Mattels plant, a large majority of the workers (79%) got their job by applying directly at the plant site, while another 19% were referred by friends. The average length of employment among the interviewed workers was approximately 4.0 years. However, for 26% of the workers, employment at Mattel was their first job. This indicates that while the workforce includes a sizeable proportion of temporary and seasonal workers, the core group provides Mattel with a substantial number of stable and experienced employees. The hiring process includes general company orientation, which covers such issues as the employment contract, rules of conduct, disciplinary measures, grievance procedures, wages deductions and overtime pay policies, transportation services, facilities, amenities and tour of the factory. Newly hired workers also receive information and training in the topics of Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS Orientation). Each worker at the Mattels plant ha s a signed contract on file. Employee personnel records also include illness and injury reports; disciplinary action reports; medical examinations and maternity leave reports. All new hires are also given a medical examination. They also received job-related training of varying length based on the specific requirements of their jobs. Based on these mechanisms on hiring and recruitment, Mattel is able to ensure they have selected the best and right people to achieve companys goals. Are the workers able to understand and practice GMP? GMP is very important in ensuring the quality of products. Interviewed workers largely confirmed that they were familiar with various provisions of Mattels GMP. Management Compliance Report (MCR) indicated that GMP document in local language was provided to all employees and is available in local language. The Plant Manager plays the key role in communicating GMP information to supervisors and employees. The MCR also stated that information on GMP is provided twice a year, through various sources such as the new hire orientation program, employee handbook, boards and the company intranet. Are the plants workers financially motivated to achieve companys objectives? Financial compensations to plants workers are very important to maintain the morale and motivation level of workers. The minimum wage for Tijuana is $41.67 (Mexican pesos) per day. Temporary workers at the Mexicos plant earn at least $74.00 per day; while the core groups minimum wage is $85. All overtime is paid at double wage rates, up to 9 overtime hours each week. All hours worked in excess of 9 hours per week are paid at triple rates. In addition, workers also receive attendance and punctuality bonuses. Besides, all confirmed workers are also entitled to annual leave, sick leave, maternity leave, free vacation, free transportation, free coffee and bakery products, free training courses, and etc. These policies are able to match the workers objectives with companys objectives when they are well compensated. Are work environment of manufacturing operations and related facilities able to ensure the quality of work from workers? As an example, the plant in Mexico is a large plant consisting of one building covering an area of over 473,000 sq. square feet. The facility has installed a very modern and efficient delivery system for handling raw materials. Resins for manufacturing plastic are delivered by trucks to a roadside facility where they are stored in large silos. From there, they are delivered to the molding machines on the factory floor through a sophisticated computer-controlled system. The process is designed to keep the site clean and helps minimize spillage and waste. The facility maintains, among others, detailed and up-to-date records on plant maintenance, air filtration, noise control, fire prevention, and safe storage of hazardous materials. The high standards of environmental health safety of the plant were also confirmed by the ICCA professional engineering audit team through an extensive â€Å"walk through† of the entire plant. ICCAs inspection confirmed that the plant was in â€Å"good† operating condition internally and in â€Å"fair† condition externally. The plant provides free-of-charge Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to all employees where use of such equipment is required and appropriate. The factory meets or exceeds the GMP requirements for bathroom, wash basins, and clean drinking water. Toilets are equipped with an effective flushing system and are maintained and cleaned on a regular basis. The dining area at the factory canteen is quite attractive. Colorful paintings, natural light through large windows a nd TV for entertainment provides the dining room with a pleasant environment. There is also an outside eating area for those who wish to smoke. Employees are served two meals per shift. The meals are mostly subsidized by the factory with workers paying only a nominal sum. In addition, the medical clinic at the plant is excellent and well-staffed. It is open 24 hours and seven days a week. It is staffed with one medical doctor and three qualified nurses. The clinic has a good record keeping system for the workers use of the clinic including work-related injury data. In short, Mattel has a well maintained facility and operates in an efficient manner while ensuring that the plant provides a clean, safe and healthy work environment for its employees. This also helps to ensure the workers produce high-quality products. 1.1.3 Taking corrective actions The final strategy-evaluation activity is about taking corrective actions, which requires making changes to competitively reposition a firm for the future. These corrective actions might be derived from the inspection of internal or external auditors who review and evaluate the practices and policies of a company. Some corrective actions, for example, like altering an organizations structure, replacing one or more key individuals, selling a division, or revising a business mission. Other changes could include establishing or revising objectives, devising new policies, issuing stock to raise capital, adding additional salespersons, differently allocating resources, or developing new performance incentives. As for Mattel, despites some of the scandals, it has been performing well since its establishment. When there were discrepancies of performance from target, Mattel had made corrective actions accordingly. 1. Mattel Independent Monitoring Council for Global Manufacturing Principles In this internal auditing practice, the physical plant, including all manufacturing and storage areas, were found to be in excellent condition. The plant and its related machinery were well maintained. The housekeeping appeared to be very good resulting in a neat, clean and safe operating plant. MIMCO was especially attentive to ensure that employees were properly using safety equipment and that environmental practices were being followed. However, there are few areas have been identified to make improvements. Employee Treatment by Line Supervisors MIMCO report of the previous audit had noted that the primary source of employee dissatisfaction pertained to incidents, albeit infrequent, of verbal abuse by line supervisors especially when it is meted out in public and in the presence of co-workers. It was recommended that Montois plant management review all pertinent issues of supervision and human relations in its weekly meetings. Further, the plant management should take action to strengthen its first-line supervisor training program. Work-place Hazards Mattel was found to have insufficient storage space as it had reached its maximum capacity. This shortage led to storage of volatile compounds in a tool crib in the middle of the factory assembly line. Another issue of concern was the noise level in some areas caused by the sonic welding machines. This noise level was found to be in access of Mattel GMP standards in the vicinity of the sonic welding operations. A possible work hazard described by employees was the risk of fire when water spilled from machines on the electric cables in work areas. MIMCO recommended an upgrade to the water feeding system and training of employees. The use of all-purpose utility knives to trim the mold marks was identified as a work hazard by management, production employees and the MIMCO team. These cuts were found to be a major source of injury and lost-days of work. Mattel had made corrective actions accordingly to rectify the mistakes and improve on the insufficiencies. Insufficient Bathroom and Toilet Facilities In the initial audit of Montoi, employees had complained about long waiting time for the use of bathrooms. The employees felt that there were not enough bathrooms to meet their needs when the plant was operating at full capacity. Although, the number of available bathrooms met both the GMP standards and the Mexican law, it was recommended that serious consideration should be given to expanding these facilities. The Montoi plant has added 11 more toilets for female employees and 8 for male employees. 2. Mattels corrective actions on ICCA 2004 Follow-Up Report of Mattel Owned and Operated Plants in China Regular and Overtime Work Hours ICCA found that Mattels plants were scheduling work hours in excess of Mattels 60 hour per week requirement. In response to this, Mattel has elected to limit the maximum number of working hours to 60 per week during normal operations, and 72 hours per week during peak periods and other extraordinary situations, provided that overtime is voluntary, the employees are paid appropriately and work hours in excess of 60 hours per week, but less than 72 hours per week, do not exceed 1/3 of the year for each employee. Payment of Minimum Wages Mattels China partner at the Guan Yao facility had made a good faith effort in negotiating a minimum wage that was competitive with other local cities, and had sought out and received approval for the reduced minimum wage originally stipulated for their area. With respect to this reduction of minimum wage at Mattels Guan Yao plant, Mattel has instituted a policy in conjunction with the new minimum wage increase slated for early 2005, which requires Mattels China partner to pay the stated minimum wage for the area. Due to the inconsistency in legal opinion regarding local waivers allowing a reduction of the minimum wage, Mattel will no longer accept these types of waivers from the local labor bureau. Inappropriate Wage Rate During Temporary Shut Downs and Other Circumstances There are three separate and distinct situations with respect to the amount of money employees are compensated for hours worked. In each case that ICCA has identified, Mattel has gone back and assessed an acceptable corrective action. For example, in the case of Guan Yao Chang An, with respect to the payment of minimum wages during down time for internal factors within control of the plant operations, Mattel has instituted a policy of paying the employees minimum wage during these unexpected shutdown periods. This policy change was instituted in January 2004. Mandatory Deductions and Legally Mandated Benefits Mattels annual leave policy has been amended to reflect the actual days of service an employee has worked over the length of their tenure at Mattel. In 2004, Mattel will compensate employees with 5 days of paid leave for those who quit before the end of the year and have one year of service. Mattels policy with respect to maternity leave was updated in 2004. All employees seeking maternity leave, regardless of whether they return to work, will be compensated for the full 90 days, as allowed under Chinese labor law. Mattels policy on deductions for room and board was changed in 2004. All employees who stay in the dorm and eat at the cafeteria will be charged no more than 50 percent of their minimum wage rate. It should further be noted that staying in the dorms is voluntary for employees. 1.2 Balanced Scorecard There are few criteria have been introduced to evaluate and review the performance of Mattel Inc. 1.2.1 Customers Product Quality and Safety Mattels reputation for product quality and safety is among its most valuable assets. Their commitment to product quality and safety is an integral part of their design, manufacturing, testing and distribution processes, and is essential to the success of their business. Childrens health, safety and well-being are their primary concern. They will meet or exceed legal requirements and industry standards for product quality and safety. They strive to earn their consumers trust through their dedication to safety, and to exceed the expectations of parents. Employees have an obligation to immediately report any concerns about product safety or quality to Mattels Worldwide Product Integrity Department. Consumer Information They respect the confidentiality of consumer information consistent with all applicable privacy and data protection laws and regulations. They do not share, sell or trade any private or sensitive personal information obtained online from children without the prior consent of the parent or unless compelled by legal process. Advertising and Promotions Mattels brand and product promotion activities, including advertising, packaging, point of purchase displays, promotional programs and sweepstakes, should be conducted in a manner consistent with applicable laws and with their reputation for honesty and integrity. They adhere to high standards of commercial fairness in ads and promotions. They must accurately portray the features, quality and performance of their products in all advertising media and packaging in a manner appropriate for their target audience. They do not misstate facts or provide misleading or deceptive information about Mattels products, or the products of a competitor. They should be diligent in safeguarding the reputation of Mattel brands and products by being selective about promotional opportunities, such as event sponsorship and other joint promotions, avoiding association of Mattels name with any product, service or activity which might be considered unsafe or inappropriate for children, or with any person or organization if the relationship might be damaging to Mattels reputation. 1.2.2 Managers/Employees Respect They will treat others as they want to be treated with respect, dignity and fairness. They have the right to work in an environment free from discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, social origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status or other protected characteristics. They also respect their co-workers rights, and remember that such discrimination and harassment will not be tolerated. They should speak out when the conduct of a coworker makes them or others uncomfortable. They each have a responsibility to report to Human Resources any such harassment or discrimination that they experience or observe. Diversity Mattel recognizes diversity as an asset, and is committed to actively seeking and promoting diversity in the workforce. They value the different perspectives, insights and experiences of diverse individuals and cultures, and they aspire to create a company culture that encourages an expression of, and a respect for, diverse viewpoints. They provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees, without regard to factors such as race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, social origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status or other protected characteristics. They make employment decisions to meet their business needs based on factors such as qualifications, skills and achievement. They comply with local and national employment laws. Employee Health and Safety Mattel is committed to providing a safe, healthful and environmentally responsible workplace, and has established safety programs to provide information and training for safe practices in the normal conduct of business and for emergencies. They are responsible for observing safety and health rules, for taking appropriate precautionary measures and for reporting unsafe or hazardous conditions to their supervisors, to Mattels Global Sustainability Department, Global Security Department or local Mattel security personnel. In order to maintain their high standards for quality, productivity and safety, they should be in suitable mental and physical condition at work. Possessing, buying or selling, using or being under the influence of illegal drugs or engaging in any other activities which create an unsafe work environment while on duty, or when on Mattel premises, are expressly prohibited. The consumption of alcohol while on duty or when on Mattel premises is prohibited except during approved Mattel social functions, or during business meals. 1.2.3 Investors/Shareholders Protecting Mattel Assets All employees and Directors share in the responsibility to protect Mattels assets, including physical assets, financial assets, intellectual property and proprietary information from theft, loss, damage, misuse or waste. Those of them who have custody of company property, such as vehicles and laptop computers, should take appropriate measures to ensure their proper security and use.

Medicinal Herbs and Pharmaceutical Drugs :: Health, Medication

A herb-drug interaction is defined as any pharmacological modification caused by a herbal substance(s) to another exogenous-chemical (e.g. a prescription medication) in the diagnostic, therapeutic or other action of a drug in or on the body (Brazier and Levine, 2003). This relates to drug-drug interactions, herb-herb interaction or drug-food interaction. A herb can potentially mimic, magnify or reduce the effects of co-administered drugs and the consequences of these interactions can be beneficial, undesirable or harmful effects (Fugh and Ernst, 2001). It should be pointed out that both the putative active ingredient(s) and other constituents present in that herbal mixture have the potential to interact with various classes of drugs (Miller, 1998). Many medicinal herbs and pharmaceutical drugs are therapeutically active at one dose and toxic at another. Interaction between herbs and drugs may increase or decrease the pharmacological or toxicological effects of either component. Synergistic and therapeutic effects may complicate the dosing of long-term medication. e.g. herbs traditionally used to decrease glucose concentrations in diabetes could therapeutically precipitate hypoglycemia if taken in combination with conventional drugs (Fugh, 2000). Plausible cases of herb-drug interactions include: bleeding when warfarin is combined with ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), garlic (Allium sativum), danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) and decreased bioavailability of digoxin, theophylline, and cyclosporine when they are combined with St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) etc.,(Shu-feng et al., 2007). Health–care practitioners should caution patients against mixing herbs and pharmaceutical drugs (Fugh, 2000). Cardiovascular diseases particularly myocardial toxicity is one of the leading causes of mortality. Risk factors for cardiovascular diseases are many, like hypertension, atherosclerosis, drugs like doxorubicin & catecholamines like isoproterenol, isoprenaline etc (Gupta et al., 2004). Doxorubicin/Adriamycin (Dox) is a powerful, well established and highly efficacious drug in the fight against many kinds of cancers like solid tumors, leukemia’s, soft tissue sarcoma, breast cancer, small cell carcinoma of the lung and esophageal carcinomas. But its clinical usefulness is still restricted due to its specific toxicities to cardiac tissues (Zhon et al., 2001). Congestive heart failure, cardiomyopathy, and electrocardiographic changes were demonstrated after cumulative Dox administration (Lenaz and Page, 1976). The possible mechanisms proposed for myocardial toxic effects of Dox include free radical induced myocardial injury, lipid peroxidation (Myers et al.

China’s Nuclear Program :: Asian Studies Foreign Policy

China’s Nuclear Program Introduction China's nuclear weapons program has always been unique among the programs of the five official nuclear weapons states recognized by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. For a variety of economic, political, and cultural reasons, the Chinese program has had a very different trajectory of development, with different objectives, than those of the other major powers' nuclear weapons and missile programs. China's nuclear and ballistic missile programs are and have historically been based on the objective of maintaining a level of nuclear deterrence just great enough to preclude any threats by the nuclear "super" powers. By concentrating on building and maintaining a minimum level of effective deterrence, China can ensure its security while concentrating the maximum amount of its available resources on much more pressing issues, such as economic development. As a developing country, China did not and does not have the resources to compete as a "third superpower" in the Cold War world. The Chinese, who for many of the years before 1978 could hardly afford to feed their own people, simply could not afford to spend huge sums of money in a costly arms race which they were almost certain to lose. Limited deterrence offered the most efficient solution - just enough capability to reap the security benefits of deterrence while avoiding the costs of producing, maintaining and storing huge s tockpiles of nuclear weapons. Why nuclear? The Chinese have always been afraid of invasion of their territory - one of the first projects of the Emperor Qin Shi Huang Di, the first ruler of a united China, was the construction of a vast Great Wall to keep out nomadic barbarian raiders from Inner Asia...in 200 BC. As a rich agrarian empire, and the most populous nation in the world, China has presented a rich target for outsiders for thousands of years, from the Xiongnu of Christ's time to Genghis Khan, to Western imperialists and Japanese warlords. The Chinese Communist leadership which came to power in 1949 after a lengthy and bloody civil war grew up during a very tumultuous period in Chinese history. They witnessed the decline of Chinese power within Asia and over its own territory, the fall of the imperial government which had governed China on and off for more than 2000 years, and the encroaching western imperialist powers who began to declare "spheres of influence" through the "unequal treaties" system.

Roman Pool Essay -- Architecture Structure History Essays

Roman Pool The private residence built by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in San Simeon, California is quite a site to behold. Originally named La Cuesta Encantada it is now often referred to as Hearst Castle. It is located on a hilltop overlooking the Pacific Ocean in the Santa Lucia Mountains. The estate took 28 years to build and includes the main house, guest houses, two pools, and acres of gardens, terraces and walkways. Its rooms and gardens are decorated with an impressive collection of antiques from around the world. One particularly interesting building is the Roman Pool. The Roman Pool at Hearst castle is a tiled indoor pool decorated with eight statues of Roman gods, goddesses and heroes. The pool appears to be styled after an ancient Roman bath such as the Baths of Caracalla in Rome c. 211-17 CE. The mosaic tiled patterns were inspired by mosaics found in the 5 C. Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna, Italy (Kastner, p. I-261.) They are also representative of traditional marine monster themes that can be found in ancient Roman baths (Strong, p. 124.) The statues are rough copies of ancient Greek and Roman statues. One such copy represents the "Apoxyomenos." Statuary was used on a considerable scale in the Baths of Caracalla (Strong, p. 124.) The pool and surrounding room, which were built from 1927-1934, can be compared to an ancient Roman bath. The pool, like the baths, is located indoors. Its water was heated as in a tepidarium. However, in Hearst's complex there were no hot or cold baths as there were in the ancient complex. The Roman Pool complex was designed to contain an exercise room, sweat baths, a handball court and dressing rooms (Cohn/Kastner p. I-258.) The Baths of Caracalla covere... ...ing fingers of the outstretched hand. We will never know what Hearst was thinking when he created his Roman Pool. Was he hoping to accurately depict an ancient Roman bath, or did he just like Roman art? Overall he kept to a romanticized 1930's version of the Roman theme, with decorations that span three centuries. Looking at the rest of his "castle" leads one to believe that Hearst combined whatever he thought was impressive. This pool is truly impressive. Works Cited: Boardman, John. Greek Art. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1964. Cohn, Leslie and Kastner, Vicki. Roman Pool. (Information from Hearst Castle P.R. Department) Hutton, Edward. The Story of Ravenna. London: J.M.Dent & Sons, Ltd, 1926. Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc, 1995. Strong, David. Roman Art. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Books, Ltd, 1976. Roman Pool Essay -- Architecture Structure History Essays Roman Pool The private residence built by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in San Simeon, California is quite a site to behold. Originally named La Cuesta Encantada it is now often referred to as Hearst Castle. It is located on a hilltop overlooking the Pacific Ocean in the Santa Lucia Mountains. The estate took 28 years to build and includes the main house, guest houses, two pools, and acres of gardens, terraces and walkways. Its rooms and gardens are decorated with an impressive collection of antiques from around the world. One particularly interesting building is the Roman Pool. The Roman Pool at Hearst castle is a tiled indoor pool decorated with eight statues of Roman gods, goddesses and heroes. The pool appears to be styled after an ancient Roman bath such as the Baths of Caracalla in Rome c. 211-17 CE. The mosaic tiled patterns were inspired by mosaics found in the 5 C. Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna, Italy (Kastner, p. I-261.) They are also representative of traditional marine monster themes that can be found in ancient Roman baths (Strong, p. 124.) The statues are rough copies of ancient Greek and Roman statues. One such copy represents the "Apoxyomenos." Statuary was used on a considerable scale in the Baths of Caracalla (Strong, p. 124.) The pool and surrounding room, which were built from 1927-1934, can be compared to an ancient Roman bath. The pool, like the baths, is located indoors. Its water was heated as in a tepidarium. However, in Hearst's complex there were no hot or cold baths as there were in the ancient complex. The Roman Pool complex was designed to contain an exercise room, sweat baths, a handball court and dressing rooms (Cohn/Kastner p. I-258.) The Baths of Caracalla covere... ...ing fingers of the outstretched hand. We will never know what Hearst was thinking when he created his Roman Pool. Was he hoping to accurately depict an ancient Roman bath, or did he just like Roman art? Overall he kept to a romanticized 1930's version of the Roman theme, with decorations that span three centuries. Looking at the rest of his "castle" leads one to believe that Hearst combined whatever he thought was impressive. This pool is truly impressive. Works Cited: Boardman, John. Greek Art. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1964. Cohn, Leslie and Kastner, Vicki. Roman Pool. (Information from Hearst Castle P.R. Department) Hutton, Edward. The Story of Ravenna. London: J.M.Dent & Sons, Ltd, 1926. Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc, 1995. Strong, David. Roman Art. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Books, Ltd, 1976.

Gay marriages Essay

Legalization of gay marriages is a comparatively new social experiment, undertaken in twelve American states and several European countries. To my view, it should be cancelled, and in the present paper I would like to substantiate my opposition to the introduction of gay marriage practice worldwide. The United States Constitution, as one knows, guarantees religious freedom, so that national religion and the related obligations could not be adopted at the legislative level. Nevertheless, the national law is to great extent based upon religious principles, given that they developed much earlier than the institute of law. Nevertheless, due to the fact that the American population is diverse in terms of cultural and religious backgrounds, the legislation should demonstrate a high degree of sensitivity to the needs of minority groups, whose beliefs might dramatically contradict to the legal prescriptions. Thus, the legal foundation should be flexible enough, but only to those religions, which have most supporters in the country, as responding to the religions, poorly represented in the United States, might result in the infringement of the interests of larger religious groups (Wolfson, 2004). As the statistics demonstrates, the most widespread religions in the country are Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism (Wolfson, 2004). All of these doctrines have long histories and derive from approximately the same values which include family, human life, health and spirituality. It needs to be noted that the carriers of the doctrines are practically consistent with one another in terms of the principles of marriage, which should necessarily be heterosexual; therefore, all of them disapprove of gay families, as one of the basic goals of any ancient religion is the encouragement of natural reproduction (Wolfson, 2004; Dobson, 2004). As one can conclude, there is a strong religious argument against gay marriages, and given the fact that more than 80 per cent of Americans are adherent to a particular doctrine, it is possible to presume that the legalization of gay marriages abuses the interests of the majority. It is often stated that due to the fact that a number of same-sex couples have been cohabitating for years, it would be useful to legalize homosexual partnership, so that the receive the benefits, associated with the traditional marriage, which include social security insurance and a number of additional rights. On the other hand, same-sex marriages are likely to increase government expenditures: â€Å"Recognizing same-sex marriages would increase outlays for Social Security and for the Federal Employees Health Benefits program† (Chauncey, 2004, p. 243). In order to increase the relevant spending, it is necessary to raise taxes, so each American citizen, capable of working, will pay for the introduction of homosexual marriages from their own pocket. Given the aforementioned information about the most influential and represented religious groups, one can assume public dissatisfaction, which might appear as a result of the launch of this social experiment. Furthermore, marriage of convenience might become more common (Chauncey, 2004; Dobson, 2004). This practice is quite popular among those individuals, who wish to receive marriage benefits without the actual desire for the creation of family. In this sense, they misuse and abuse the concept of government trust for citizens and legally declared value of family, more precisely – undermine the legal understanding of family. This means, in order to avoid the increase of convenience marriage rates, it is highly recommended to not to endorse same-sex marriage. My final argument against gay marriages derives from the value of family as a source of reproduction not merely at the level of individual citizens, but also in terms of society in general. â€Å"A common objection to same-sex marriage is that the purpose of marriage is a result of naturally occurring sexual attraction that leads to procreation and that the same-sex partnership is inherently sterile† (Dobson, 2004, p. 89). I do not claim that individuals should create families taking into consideration the fact that they are obliged to have children, as the attitude towards procreation is a personal choice, but the direction, encouraging the reproduction of society, should be taken at the levels of both law and social policy; otherwise the society might not survive. Moreover, it is possible to presume that gay marriage is likely to abuse the value of traditional family even more than heterosexual cohabitation without registration. First of all, heterosexual cohabitation corresponds to the natural principles of family as a â€Å"union† of a male and a female for proliferation; it needs to be noted that a number of â€Å"unregistered† heterosexual families have children, whereas gay families have less opportunities and lower willingness to procreate (Dobson, 2004). In the social context, the scope of family duties harmoniously combines male and female roles in the household, this tendency is equally apparent in both married couples and cohabitants, whereas different gender roles are unlikely to unite within a same-sex family. As for the legal regulation of sexuality and moral issue, it is important to note that the existing legislation already restricts many aspects of sexuality and morality, such as incest or sexual contact with children,; from these examples one can conclude that the absence of such constraints is likely to negatively affect the common wellbeing. Similarly, the permission of same-sex marriages might have adverse consequences as well. To sum up, due to the facts that most religious groups oppose gay marriage, that the introduction of this practice is likely to affect everyone in economical meaning and that same-sex marriages undermine the traditional value of family, the initiative concerning their legalization should not be supported. Works cited Chauncey, G. Why Marriage? The History Shaping Today’s Debate over Gay Equality. New York: Basic Books, 2004. Dobson, J. Marriage Under Fire. Sisters, Or. : Multnomah, 2004. Wolfson, E. Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality, and Gay People’s Right to Marry. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004.

AMD vs Intel

Of all the corporate names playing in the personal computer (PC) hardware market, no two companies are arguably as well-known as Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Intel Corporation. That these two names are synonymous with personal computing is not surprising as these two companies manufacture the sheer majority of the microprocessors which are at the core of a consumer PC.In 2008, Intel had a 76.7% market share of the general purpose microprocessor market (which includes desktop and server processors) to AMD’s 23.1% (Shilov, 2008). While Intel outsells AMD 3-to-1, the two companies combined ship 99.8% of the world’s desktop and server processors.Both Intel and AMD were founded from former employees of Fairchild Semiconductor. Intel was created in 1968 by Fairchild Engineers Bob Noyce and Gordon Moore while AMD was founded in 1969 by former Fairchild Executive Jerry Sanders and his team of employees (Singer, 2005). Today, AMD has quarterly revenues of $1.7 billion and In tel has yearly revenues of nearly $40 billion.While both known for their processor products, both AMD and Intel started out manufacturing memory chips. All of this changed in 1971 when Intel developed its 4004 – a chip designed for Japanese company Busicom to be used in their line of calculators.The 4004 chip integrated the following components – 16 registers for holding data, a program counter to keep track of execution, an arithmetic logic unit to perform numerical computations, a decoder for instructions, and a clock to keep its processes synchronized.Together, these components allowed the single 4004 chip to decode instructions stored in external memory, instructions which could contain any number of numerical computations that the 4004 could execute. By designing a programmed flow of instructions, the 4004 could be used to perform any number of tasks, not only the calculations needed by Busicom’s calculators.This made the 4004 Intel’s, and consequent ly, the world’s first general purpose microprocessor chip (â€Å"Intel's First Microprocessor—the Intel ® 4004†).Intel secured the right from Busicom to market the 4004 as a part of Intel’s product line up. As a standalone microprocessor, the 4004 was the birth of a revolution. Instead of building a computer for every task from scratch, an engineer can simply buy a 4004 chip, a memory chip and write a set of commands for the task at hand.A 4004 can be thought of performing any task which the engineer could program. The 4004 was then followed by the 8008, a more powerful version of the 4004.By 1981, IBM had chosen Intel’s 8088 as the processor to be used in its personal computer products. While the 8088 was the chip, IBM was essentially choosing not the 8088 but Intel’s x86 architecture as the basis for their personal computer family.This was important for two reasons, first because the IBM PC was an open standard. Any company can build a c ompatible machine buy building it from parts which conform to the standard. The typical example is how a RAM module can be plugged out from a DELL machine and be inserted into an HP machine and work fine. Secondly it was because the use of x86 meant that only chips compatible with Intel’s architecture could be used with PCs (â€Å"Intel Corporate Timeline†).To avoid overdependence on Intel products, IBM demanded that Intel should find a second supplier of chips. Because of this, Intel reaches out to AMD in 1982, giving AMD full access to its 286 chip technology and allowing AMD to manufacture 286 products. Thus in the beginning, AMD could only be thought of as an outsourced manufacturer of Intel processor designs (Singer, 2005).