Aquarius Case Analysis Essay Example for Free

Aquarius Case Analysis Essay 1) Analyze Aquarius in terms of the five contextual variables: * Goals: Aquarius has realized a huge problem in regards to the rapid turnover of their major accounts. An agency reorganization would be a realistic goal in changing their competitive techniques. This reorganization might be able to set them apart from the other agencies by reducing their response time and increasing the communication between the different departments to boost efficiency. * Culture: In my opinion I believe that Aquarius has a very low and undefined organizational culture. It seems like the employees are all looking out for themselves and trying to get ahead of everyone else. These values although unwritten provide the glue to having everyone on the same page and are absolutely essential in providing clients with top of the line work. * Size: Since Aquarius is a mid-sized firm with various specialists on the professional staff of the operations and marketing divisions I would say they have anywhere from 1000-1500 employees. With this many employees it is critical to have effective communication between the different departments. This would in turn increase flexibility in this unpredictable environment. * Environment: Changes in the environment is the main reason why the agency is considering the need for reorganization. It is typical for advertising agencies to gain/lose clients quickly, this is why is it so essential to have everyone in the organization effectively communicating with each other in order to satisfy their clients and reduce turnover. * Technology: Aquarius has a number of different specialists on their team that work together in assisting their clients, but there is always room for improvement in regards to better communication. It would seem to me that Aquarius would have a number of different programs and internet sites to assist them achieving their services. 2) A new organizational structure that takes into consideration the contextual variables in the case and the information flows is the divisional structure. This structure is suited to fast change in an unstable environment and provides high product or service visibility. A major problem that occurs in Aquarius is that each client account is coordinated by an account executive who acts as a liaison between the client and various specialists. Unfortunately this isn’t followed because sometimes the account executives don’t even know what is going on until a week later. The divisional structure leads to customer satisfaction because product responsibility and contact points are clear. This in turn involves high coordination across functions which will make everyone check with the executive first to get approval before contacting the client. Coordination across functions will allow their services to adapt to the requirements of the individual clients and perform beyond their expectations. This structure would allow Aquarius to achieve their goals while increasing their organizational culture as a whole and being able to adapt more quickly to this unstable environment. 3) Would a matrix structure be feasible for Aquarius? I my opinion I believe that a balanced matrix structure would be hard to implement and maintain. This is due to the fact that account executives as one side of the authority structure would often dominate over the specialists. In order for the account executive to do their job correctly they need everyone on their side and in coordination to run important information by them first. Perhaps a better alternative would be a product matrix where the executives have primary authority and the specialists assign technical personal to the projects and provide advisory expertise as needed. With dual authority I feel that it would be frustrating and confusing for everyone, there needs to be a clear contact points. There would always be a need for frequent meetings to resolve any conflicts between the different authorities, it would simply just require to great of an effort to maintain the power balance.

Huck Finn :: essays papers

Huck Finn The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a well acclaimed book, written by Mark Twain. It was written from 1876-1883, but the story itself is supposed to have taken place some forty to fifty years earlier, back in the era of slavery. The setting for this book is very similar to the place where Twain grew up. He was raised in Hannibal, Missouri, but changed the name to St. Petersburg for the story. This town was situated right along the Mississippi river which plays a very significant role in the tale. Each character in the novel exhibits a certain personality. Personalities of which Twain encountered while being a river boat pilot for four years. The narrator is actually Huck Finn himself. Chapter one introduces Huck Finn and the reader gets to know what he is like. At fist glance he may appear to be only an out of control teenager, but there he is in fact a very dynamic character, just wait until things begin to unfold. Huck yearns to be free from all authority. His guardian, Widow Douglas, is constantly nagging him to be â€Å"sivilized,† but this seems to go one ear and out the other. He enjoys smoking, cursing, hunting and fishing. But she would rather that he learn to be polite and go to school. The reader also sees in this chapter that Huck is superstitious. This occurs when he accidentally kills a spider, which supposedly brings bad luck. The chapter ends when he hears something in the tree outside his bedroom.... Chapter two introduces Huck’s best friend, Tom Sawyer. They both sneak out together, almost getting caught by Jim, the Widower’s slave. But they weasel their way out of it by pulling a trick on him. Which provides Jim with another bizarre story to tell, he always stretches the truth. Both Tom Sawyer and Huck share the same love for adventure and have great imaginations. For instance, they begin to create a plan to start a band of robbers. Tom pulls his knowledge of robbers from books he has read, so the plan ends up quite extreme. He wants all of the robbers to actually kill the people they rob, just because he read it in a book. Huck is definitely more realistic than his friend and backs out of it. During chapter three we find that Huck has been learning how to read and write. And he also begins to see signs of his Pap’s return. His pap is the town drunk, who just wanders around looking

Giant Foods Case Analysis

This case involves convergent technologies, a blending of traditional and cutting-edge business models and an alliance between an established pharmaceutical provider and a fledgling, Information Technology based, Drug marketing firm. Together, these two companies endeavored to create a patient education and prescription drug compliance program by deploying the deep well of customer data acquired by Giant Foods and the proprietary software of Elensys Care services, Inc. Elensys uses information from Giants pharmacy to send personalized letters, written on pharmacy letterhead but often paid for by pharmaceutical companies, that remind customers to refill prescriptions and pitch new products to customers with particular ailments. Giant first tested the feasibility of running a drug compliance program in-house but quickly determined that its’ Information System requirements were too overwhelming and decided to outsource the program to Elensys. However, the backlash to this new initiative was negative and strong as dozens of angry customers called officials at Giant to complain. Privacy specialists said the practice raised new questions about patient confidentiality and also blurs the line between medicine and marketing. â€Å"People assume that their medical information, including prescription information, is held in the strictest confidence,† said Beth Givens, director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a nonprofit consumer group in San Diego. â€Å"When that information is shared with a third party, they're surprised and outraged. This case exemplifies the privacy issues surrounding Giant Food's decision to outsource a prescription drug compliance program to Elensys. Ignoring for a moment the underlying profit motive of this program, approximately half of all patients stop taking their medication within the first six months of being prescribed, compliance programs remind patients to refill their prescriptions and help address a major public health issue. However, these programs also raise privacy issues because they involve the use of sensitive personal information. This case provides business and law students, firms and legislators with an opportunity to assess the privacy issues raised by this situation. The case also provides an opportunity for firms to deal with the challenges of developing a privacy sensitive implementation strategy and CRM programs in general. Background: Giant Foods, Inc. Beginning in February of 1936, Giant Foods was brought to life by N. M. Cohen and Samuel Lehrman. Using the business model of offering a large, self-service grocery store with revenue based on high volume and low prices, the store was an instant success. An innovator from the very start, Giant Foods was the first to install front-end scanners in all its stores, market a private label house brand and the first to hire a consumer advocate to promote its products. Much of the success that Giant has earned is due to technology, innovation and well planned vertical integration. Giant presently operates its own bakery, dairy and soft drink firm. Giant also builds its own stores, produces its commercials and advertising in-house and even makes its own signs. This vertical integration strategy has been highly successful in the food-pharmacy combination with which Giant helped to pioneer. The fact that each Giant pharmacy fills over 1,000 prescriptions per week suggests that this is a profitable tactic and highly regarded by its customers. Elensys: Elensys began its business life in 1993, in Burlington Massachusetts. Its business model was one of an IT enabled information system built as a â€Å"prescription compliance† program between consumers and Pharmacists. Elensys, whose name comes from an ancient Greek city known for medicine and health, was a â€Å"first mover† in this area and, due to strong network effects, was able to reach a critical mass within three years. Initially, Elensys started with four employees and served two local pharmacies. Presently, Elensys receives prescription information from 15,000 pharmacies about millions of people every week, and it uses proprietary, cutting-edge computer equipment to keep track of these records, according to Elensys founder Dan Rubin. In an Internet post, Elensys describes itself as â€Å"the leader in patient behavior modification programs. † Interest in the company has soared, in part because so many people fail to take medicine properly and most chains don't have the technical wherewithal to track customers as precisely as Elensys, Rubin said. Up to half of all patients who should routinely take medicine for such ailments as hypertension or high cholesterol quit prematurely, he said. â€Å"It's the primary reason for our existence. † Much of the cost of the analysis and mailings is offset by payments from drug manufacturers, who contract with pharmacies for the right to mail information to individual customers. Among other things, Rubin said, that material could include suggestions that customers switch from one drug to another. In addition to the customer backlash from this program, many legal issues become prescient due to the ill-defined nature of privacy laws. In a marketing practice that some experts say raises new questions about medical privacy, several large drug store chains and â€Å"thousands† of independent pharmacies have been providing confidential patient information to a Massachusetts database company that profiles and targets patients who don't refill prescriptions. The Washington Post reports Elensys receives prescription information on millions of individuals from 15,000 pharmacies each week, using â€Å"some of the most sophisticated computer equipment available† to profile patients and send them â€Å"educational materials† about drugs available for their conditions. Dr.  George Lundberg, editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association, called the direct marketing tactics, known as â€Å"drug compliance programs,† a â€Å"breach of fundamental medical ethical issues. † He said, â€Å"Do you want †¦ the great computer in the sky to have a computer list of every drug you take, from which can be deduced your likely diseases — and all without your permission? † Elensys describes itself in an Internet posting as â€Å"the leader in patient behavior modification programs† The Boston Globe reported that â€Å"Giant Foods said yesterday it is considering suspending† the practice of sending confidential information to Elensys. Stung by disclosures in the Washington Post, Giant Foods held high-level meetings all day before issuing a statement defending the program and asserting extensive measures were taken to protect confidentiality. † The statement said, â€Å"Giant pharmacies engages in a limited number of programs designed to educate customers about prescription therapy and improve compliance with their drug regimen. These programs in no way compromise the confidentiality of patients. † Elensys backed Giant, defending itself in a statement that emphasized it â€Å"merely served as an agent of Giant, and the chain exerted sole control over the use of information. The Washington Post reported Sunday that officials at Giant defended the marketing program, â€Å"saying customers benefit from their reminders and from the information provided by drug manufacturers. Both companies said they value customer privacy and allow customers to remove themselves from participation by submitting an ‘opt-out' form. † A spokesperson for Giant â€Å"stressed that Elensys does not share its prescription database with third parties,† and Elensys President Daniel Rubin â€Å"said drug companies never get access to the pharmacy's files. Instead, pharmaceutical companies decide which patient groups they want to target and pay Elensys and the pharmacies to mail information to those patients. The Washington Post also reports that the direct marketing is â€Å"part of a far-reaching move by drug manufacturers and pharmacies across the country to make greater use of medical information, new technology and sophisticated marketing techniques to sell more drugs. Rather than promoting their products to doctors,† companies are targeting patients in hopes of influencing them to ask for specific prescriptions. The New York Times reports a parallel trend in which the â€Å"pharmaceutical industry is increasingly marketing mental health drugs directly to consumers. † Manufacturers claim the information is useful to patients, while some doctors and patient advocates contend that â€Å"people with certain mental illnesses are much more susceptible to being manipulated than those with other medical problems. † The Times reports that â€Å"in the most aggressive example of approaching patients directly, Eli Lilly & Company said recently that it would offer scholarships to some schizophrenic patients who took Zyprexa, its new antipsychotic drug. Future problems associated with this new marketing ploy include: The melding of the entrepreneurial ethic, where the goal is to sell a product and the more traditional medical ethic, where the goal is the well-being of the patient. The information could be sold to an insurance company that would then refuse to sell the person insurance or charge them a higher premium. This private information could make its way to head-hunting firms, employers and even divorce courts.

Aristotle s Role Of Luck And Chance As Causes For Change

When discussing probability, a text of my previous reading came to mind. Within the lecture Physics II, much of Aristotle’s work is concerned with providing a definition for various events and subjects, and as such, identifying the types of causes for each event is an important step in accomplishing this goal. Aristotle specifically investigates the role of luck and chance as causes of change. Although we commonly speak of luck or chance as being a cause, Aristotle purposefully refrains from including them in his explanation of causes. When giving an account of our observable world, I agree with Aristotle in that there is no place for luck and chance as causes of events, yet I believe they do have a role, namely in predicting future events. Aristotle specifically separates causes into four different categories, material cause, formal cause, efficient cause, and final cause. He defines these causes as â€Å"that from which, as a constituent present in it, †¦ the form i.e., the pattern, †¦ the source of the primary principle of change, †¦ something’s end† . Respectively, these describe what something is made of, the form or pattern to which is corresponds, the original source of change (closest to what we would associate with a â€Å"cause†), and the purpose of the change. Using the creation of a sculpture as an example, Aristotle provides the bronze of a statue as a material cause, the shape of the state as the formal cause, the actual sculpting of the statue as the efficient cause,Show MoreRelatedAnalysis of Moral Luck Views of Aristotle and Epictetus Essay1462 Words   |  6 PagesAnalysis of Moral Luck Views of Aristotle and Epictetus Aristotle, the founder of western science, and Epictetus, one of the greatest stoicists, both has their theories for the issue of Moral Luck. 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