Blades, Inc. Case

Forecasting Exchange Rates

Recall that Blades, Inc., the U.S.-based manufacturer of roller blades, is currently both exporting to and importing from Thailand. Ben Holt, Blades’ chief financial officer (CFO), and you, a financial analyst at Blades, Inc., are reasonably happy with Blades’ current performance in Thailand. Entertainment Products, Inc., a Thai retailer for sporting goods, has committed itself to purchase a minimum number of Blades’ Speedos annually. The agreement will terminate after three years. Blades also imports certain components needed to manufacture its products from Thailand. Both Blades’ imports and exports are denominated in Thai baht. Because of these arrangements, Blades generates approximately 10 percent of its revenue and 4 percent of its cost of goods sold in Thailand.

Currently, Blades’ only business in Thailand consists of this export and import trade. Holt, however, is thinking about using Thailand to augment Blades’ U.S. business in other ways as well in the future. For example, Holt is contemplating establishing a subsidiary in Thailand to increase the percentage of Blades’ sales to that country. Furthermore, by establishing a subsidiary in Thailand, Blades will have access to Thailand’s money and capital markets. For instance, Blades could instruct its Thai subsidiary to invest excess funds or to satisfy its short-term needs for funds in the Thai money market. Furthermore, part of the subsidiary’s financing could be obtained by utilizing investment banks in Thailand.

Due to Blades’ current arrangements and future plans, Holt is concerned about recent developments in Thailand and their potential impact on the company’s future in that country. Economic conditions in Thailand have been unfavorable recently. Movements in the value of the baht have been highly volatile, and foreign investors in Thailand have lost confidence in the baht, causing massive capital outflows from Thailand. Consequently, the baht has been depreciating.

When Thailand was experiencing a high economic growth rate, few analysts anticipated an economic downturn. Consequently, Holt never found it necessary to forecast economic conditions in Thailand even though Blades was doing business there. Now, however, his attitude has changed. A continuation of the unfavorable economic conditions prevailing in Thailand could affect the demand for Blades’ products in that country. Consequently, Entertainment Products may not renew its commitment for another three years.

Because Blades generates net cash inflows denominated in baht, a continued depreciation of the baht could adversely affect Blades, as these net inflows would be converted into fewer dollars. Thus Blades is also considering hedging its baht-denominated inflows.

Because of these concerns, Holt has decided to reassess the importance of forecasting the baht-dollar exchange rate. His primary objective is to forecast the baht-dollar exchange rate for the next quarter. A secondary objective is to determine which forecasting technique is the most accurate and should be used in future periods. To accomplish this, he has asked you, as the financial analyst at Blades, for help in forecasting the baht-dollar exchange rate for the next quarter.

Holt is aware of the forecasting techniques available. He has collected some economic data and conducted a preliminary analysis for you to use in your analysis. For example, he has conducted a time-series analysis for the exchange rates over numerous quarters. He then used this analysis to forecast the baht’s value next quarter. The technical forecast indicates a depreciation of the baht by 6 percent over the next quarter from the baht’s current level of $.023 to $.02162. He has also conducted a fundamental forecast of the baht-dollar exchange rate using historical inflation and interest rate data. The fundamental forecast, however, depends on what happens to Thai interest rates during the next quarter and therefore reflects a probability distribution. Based on the inflation and interest rates, there is a 30 percent chance that the baht will depreciate by 2 percent, a 15 percent chance that the baht will depreciate by 5 percent, and a 55 percent chance that the baht will depreciate by 10 percent.

• Using all following three techniques to forecast the future of the baht

  • Fundamental forecasting

  • Market-based forecasting

  • Technical forecasting including the performance evaluation bias and its graphic evaluation

SAN FRANCISCO -- After the news that one of Silicon Valley's stars secretly funded a lawsuit to bring down a gossip site, the overwhelming response in the tech community has been: More power to him.

Peter Thiel -- Facebook investor, PayPal co-founder and a billionaire with a highly developed instinct for revenge -- is being hailed by the Valley's elite for his stealthy actions against Gawker Media, whose Valleywag gossip blog outed him as g ay and irritated other important tech people during its brief existence. The suit, brought by the professional wrestler Hulk Hogan over a sex tape, resulted in a $140 million verdict against Gawker.

With its response, the tech community's message is clear: Treat us the way we want to be treated or we might retaliate. Even though Silicon Valley professes to be for free speech -- this is where Twitter was invented, after all -- the reaction opens a window into the thinking of the digerati, who are becoming more guarded and elusive even as their products make the world more transparent.

Given Mr. Thiel's "beliefs and objectives, I can't fault him for his approach," Parker Thompson, a partner at the venture capital firm 500 Startups, said in an interview.

Mr. Thompson was just one of dozens of techies in Silicon Valley who talked or tweeted their approval of Mr. Thiel and their disapproval, or worse, of Gawker and Valleywag in the last few days.

"Click bait journalists need to be taught lessons," said the billionaire Vinod Khosla, whose efforts to close off public access to a beach on his property were covered by Valleywag.

Gawker "desperately persisted in trying to destroy people without basis. No accountability," said the venture capitalist Chris Sacca.

"Thank you @peterthiel," wrote Jessica Livingston, co-founder of the influential start-up incubator Y Combinator, which was occasionally tweaked by Valleywag.

At least one tech billionaire, however, is on Gawker's side. Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay, tweeted, "People who oppose even the slightest common sense limits on Second Amendment should understand the same principle applies to First."

Late Friday, First Look Media, which was founded by Mr. Omidyar, said that in keeping with its mission to protect the First Amendment, it would be helping to organize supporting briefs for Gawker's appeal.

"The possibility that Gawker may have to post a bond for $50 million or more just to be able to

pursue its right to appeal the jury's verdict raises serious concerns about press freedom,’ Lynn

Oberlander, general counsel for First Look, said in a statement.

‘We welcome the support at the appellate level,'' Gawker said in its own statement.

In some ways Silicon Valley's reaction is not surprising. A journalist's job, at least in theory, is to ask

questions and print the truth, which means it is less than loved in citadels of power. But in Silicon

Valley, even the media hates the media.

“Gawker can burn in hell," the TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington said on Twitter, though he

also called Mr. Thiel "cowardly" for not being open about financing the lawsuits against Gawker.

TechCrunch began as a site that worked hand in hand with start-ups to chart their progress.

For Ken Shotts, who teaches ethics and strategy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Mr.

Thiel's secret campaign against Gawker brought to mind General Motors’ pursuit of Ralph Nader 50

years ago. G.M. set private detectives on Mr. Nader to get the dirt on him that would nullify his

criticism of its Corvair car. G.M. went beyond the pale, and was punished. The president of G.M. was

forced to appear before Congress and apologize for harassing and intimidating the company's critic.

“Companies face constraints," said Mr. Shotts. "That's a good thing. Individuals are less

constrained, and billionaires hardly at all."

From this perspective, what Mr. Thiel did was less of an aberration and more of that old Silicon

Valley stand-by: a new product launch. It is now out of stealth mode and getting good reviews

among potential users.

As a result, Mr. Shotts said, "I wouldn't be surprised to see more cases like this."

The situation is complicated by the fact that these days rich tech companies, their owners or

venture capitalists are as much the owners and producers of the media as the subject. With the

traditional media in a weakened state, it is a trend that seems to be accelerating.

Andreessen Horowitz, one of Silicon Valley's most prominent venture firms, owns a stake in

BuzzFeed and recently increased its investment in Medium, a platform that also produces content.

Facebook came under scrutiny this month after reports from Gizmodo, a Gawker property, that it

was playing down conservative news.

Facebook and Andreesen Horowitz declined to comment.

“Gawker tried to have it both ways,’ Venky Ganesan, managing director of the venture capital firm

Menlo Ventures, said in an interview. "They wanted to be taken seriously as journalists, yet they

didn't follow all the norms."

Twenty-five years ago, tech coverage was the domain of geeks and trade reporters -- people who

understood their way around a motherboard, were excited by it and wouldn't dream of crossing

certain boundaries. Now, with tech at its zenith, much of the coverage of the industry is still done by

enthusiasts. Combine this with the need to get the power players to come to the media's

conferences and there is a real reluctance to look behind the scenes.

Elizabeth Spiers, who was the first Gawker writer and is now an entrepreneur, noted on her blog

that the ‘tech press is largely fawning toward successful entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, and

mostly unintentionally."

The result, she wrote, is ‘a sense of entitlement in the industry where denizens of Silicon Valley

expect the media to actively support them and any negative portrayals are met with real anger and

resentment, even when they're 100 percent accurate."

Sam Altman, the president of Y Combinator, tried to chart a middle ground between Gawker and

Mr. Thiel in a series of posts on Twitter.

"Gawker is disgusting for outing people, publishing sex tapes, etc.,"' he wrote, but also posted that

“it'd be bad if rich people could start silencing the media." He concluded by blaming the legal

system.

Case Questions

1. From the article, describe the role of motivation and ability in their actions for:

a. Peter Theil (5 pts)

b. Hulk Hogan (5 pts)

c. Gawker Media Journalists (5 pts)

Restrict to the context presented in this case and use the concepts given in the chapter

to explain.

Part II ---- Suspicious Minds

Your direct microscopic observation of microorganisms in the soil samples has sparked your boss’s interest. He is eager to determine what type of microorganism(s) is present: eukaryotic or prokaryotic. Gram-positive or Gram-negative, or maybe even something new, never before seen on Earth. He sends a sample of the soil

off to a biochemistry laboratory for direct analysis.

You are equally interested in the nature of the microbes, but instead of directly analyzing the soil, you first isolate a pure culture of a microorganism that you demonstrate has the ability to degrade polyurethane. You

send a sample of this pure culture to the same biochemistry laboratory for analysis.

Later, you receive the results of the analysis of your boss’s sample and your pure sample

Table 1
Test	Boss’s sample	Your sample
80 S ribosome	+	–
70 S ribosome	+	+
Circular DNA	+	+
Linear DNA	+	–
RNA	+	+
Phospholipid membranes containing electron transport proteins	+	+
LPS	+	+
Lipoteichoic acid	+	–
Flagellar basal body proteins	+	+
Pilus proteins	+	+
Nuclear pore proteins	+	–
Histone proteins	+	–

“I’m not sure what’s wrong with your sample, but my results prove that we are dealing with a new kind of life form here….I’m calling it the preuk-aryote” because it has components characteristic of both prokaryotes

and eukaryotes. It’s time for a press conference!” boasts your boss.

Later on, as you are getting ready to head home after a long day in the lab, you hear your boss bellow, “What

the H-E-double hockey sticks is going on here!”

You ask him what happened.

“This morning I put a few thousand cells from your pure culture of Extraterrestrial PolyUrethane-Degrading Microbe (EPTUM) onto two slides in some water, but then I had to go to that press conference, and I didn’t have enough time to look at the cells carefully except to notice that they were uniformly distributed under the coverslip. I didn’t want the slides to dry out so I sealed the edges of the coverslips. On this slide I used a rubber gasket to make the seal, and on this slide I used a Lycra gasket. Now look at the cell distribution! On the rubber-sealed slide, the cells are still uniformly distributed, but on the Lycra-sealed slide all the cells have congregated around the edge of the coverslip. Look….they are all over at the edges; none are left in the middle part of the slide. Could somebody have come in here and moved all those EPTUM cells over to the edges? But who? Maybe someone small with really tiny tweezers. Did you see anyone like that lurking around this scope? Nah….I need to get a grip on reality. No tweezers could be that small.”

Questions

3.  What technique is used to isolate a pure bacterial culture?

4. If your goal is to characterize the ETPUM, whose results are more informative: yours or your boss’s?  

    Why? Does its biological composition most closely resemble that of a prokaryote or a eukaryote? Gram-

    positive or Gram-negative? Do you agree with your boss’s conclusion that the ETPUM is a prokaryotic-

    eukaryotic hybrid? Why or why not?

5. Come up with at least two possible alternative explanations for the “amazing” redistribution of the

    ETPUM on the Lycra-sealed slide. Both of your explanations should consider how the microbes “sensed”

    the presence of polyurethane. One of your answers should not involve flagella.

Part III----All Shook Up

You have found media that support growth of pure cultures of EPTUM in your laboratory. The recipes for these media are shown below:

Table 2
Medium #1 (per liter H2O)	Medium #2 (per liter H2O)
5 g yeast extract	10.5 g K2HPO4
20 g tryptone extract	4.5 g KH2PO4
0.5 g NaCl	1 g MgSO4
3.6 g glucose	10 g polyurethane

Growth in these media:

Table 3
Growth	Medium #1	Medium #2
ETPUM growth---aerobic	+	+
ETPUM growth---anaerobic	+	–
E. coli growth----aerobic	+	–
E. coli growth----anaerobic	+	–

You are excited because, in Medium #2, ETPUM utilizes polyurethane as its energy source and its sole source of carbon and nitrogen, a finding that raises the possibility that ETPUM could be a useful tool for bioremediation of polyurethane-containing wastes (in landfills, etc.). You have also made some progress in characterizing the central metabolic pathways and related  biochemical activities of ETPUM. In particular you have discovered that:

• ETPUM secretes an enzyme (polyurethanase) that catalyzes degradation of polyurethane, generating citric acid (citrate) as a product.
• The cytoplasmic membrane of ETPUM contains an ABC transport system capable of transporting citrate across the membrane at the expense of 4 ATP molecules (hydrolyzed to form ADP and phosphate) per molecule of citrate transported.
• The cytoplasm of this organism contains all of the enzymes required for glycolysis, and for the TCA cycle.
• The cytoplasmic membrane of ETPUM contains proteins that form a functional electron-transport pathway (that uses O₂ as the terminal electron acceptor)

Questions

6. Which medium would you consider to be “complex” and which “defined”?  Which is “rich” and which is

     “minimal”?  Explain your answers.

7. Given that polyurethane is a huge polymer (MW>>100,000 Daltons). Why is it important that the

    polyurethanase is a secreted enzyme? If we assume that the polyurethane is the source of energy for the

    organism, how can material (carbon atoms) from it find its way into the central metabolic pathways of this

    microbe? What is the “entry point”? What happens after its entry into the metabolic pathway?

8. Why does growth of EPTUM in Medium #2 require oxygen? Think about this in terms of how EPTUM

    can generate a net gain of in ATP processing polyurethane. Remember that the degradation of

    polyurethane by polyurethanase does not expend ATP. In order to answer this question, address each of

    the following questions in your answer:

    a. Is there a net gain or loss of ATP during the transport of citrate?

    b. Consider the ATPs that can be generated via substrate-level phosphorylation. Will glycolysis be useful  

        for generating any ATPs during growth on polyurethane? How many ATPs can be generated via TCA

        (i.e via substrate level phosphorylation)? Is this enough to support growth (is there a net positive in the

        ATP tally)?

    c. Now consider how else ETPUM can generate ATPs (if not by substrate-level-phosphorylation). Can

        this process generate a net positive in the ATP tally

    d. Now explain the importance of oxygen as relates to the ATP tally.

Use the information from the case, as well as content from the course to support your answers.

Wainwright Industries:

An Entirely New Philosophy of Business Based on Customer Satisfaction and Quality

In the early 1980s, Wainwright Industries, a manufacturer of stamped and machine parts, was facing nothing less than a crisis. Increased competition, along with intensified customer scrutiny, was forcing Wainwright to either improve quality or lose its competitive stature. In the face of this challenge, the employees of the company, led by CEO Arthur D. Wainwright, decided to make radical changes. It was clear that business as usual with a few minor improvements would not save the company. What Wainwright needed was an entire new philosophy of doing business based on quality and total customer satisfaction.

To determine how to achieve this objective, Wainwright used the criteria for the Malcolm Baldrige award as a road map. Drawing input from all levels of the company, the top management team led the process by setting goals, developing implementation strategies, and establishing key quality standards. Initially, the company emphasized three principles:

• Employee empowerment
• customer satisfaction
• Continuous improvement.

As a creative way of demonstrating the importance of working together, the company adopted the duck as its mascot, based on the fact that ducks fly in formation as a means of supporting one another in flight. In addition, whenever a duck falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone and quickly returns to the flock. Wainwright used this analogy to support the concepts of teamwork and employee empowerment, which were integral parts of the company's quality improvement efforts.

Along its journey toward improved quality, a number of specific initiatives were implemented:

• Lean manufacturing
• Statistical Process Control
• Computer aided design
• Cross-training
• Profit sharing
• & Quality minded manufacturing initiatives were put in place.

Special emphasis was placed on training and bench­marking. Since it initiated its quality program, the company has spent up to 7% of its annual payroll on training. To demonstrate its resolve in this area, the company has made training an important criterion for employee advancement. Wainwright has benchmarked against a number of companies, including firms in the textiles, chemical, and electronics industries. For instance, after studying Milliken & Company, a previous Baldrige award winner, Wainwright implemented an employee suggestion program that has been very effective.

Along with the changes mentioned previously, Wainwright also has changed its culture to make it more egalitarian and quality minded. The employees at Wainwright (including the CEO) now all wear the same uniform, eat in the same cafeteria, and park in the same parking lot. Office walls have literally been torn down and replaced with glass, based on the premise that if the managers can watch the frontline employees work, the frontline employees should be able to watch the managers work, too. As a result of these changes, the managers of the company have become coaches and facilitators rather than supervisors and disciplinarians. This important change has helped facilitate the teamwork atmosphere that is supportive of high quality and total customer satisfaction.

The results of the company's continuous improvement efforts are linked to five strategic indicators:

• safety
• internal customer satisfaction
• external customer satisfaction
• design quality
• & business performance.

The status of each of these criteria is tracked by "mission control," a room set aside to document the company's efforts. In mission control, each customer's satisfaction is documented with a plaque, a current monthly satisfaction rating, and a red or green flag indicating the customer's status relative to objectives.

As a result of these initiatives, Wainwright has met the challenge. It has not only survived but has emerged as an industry leader. The company has earned the status of preferred supplier to a growing number of quality-conscious customers and has received special recognition from General Motors, Ford, and IBM­ Rochester. The goal of Six Sigma quality is being pursued. Perhaps most important, in the last decade, overall customer satisfaction has increased from 84% to 95%, and the company's market share, revenues, and profits are at record levels. Ironically, the company was one of the recipients of the Malcolm Baldrige award, the very award against which the company benchmarked in its early days of quality improvement.

Assignment

Answer the following questions in depth in the booklet provided.

1. In its pursuit of improved quality, Wainwright emphasized two sets of initiatives: one based on improvements in its manufacturing operations (e.g., just-in-time manufacturing, computer-aided design) and the other based on human resource management (e.g., employee empowerment , profit sharing).
   1. Why was it necessary for Wainwright to emphasize both of these sets of initiatives?
   2. How are they related?

2. Using the definition of Egalitarianism below, discuss the following question.
   1. How does the development of an egalitarian culture help a company like Wainwright Industries become more quality minded?

Egalitarianism (from French égal, meaning "equal")—or, rarely, equalitarianism ^{[1] [2]} or equalism ^[3] —is a trend of thought that favors equality for all people. ^[4] Egalitarian doctrines maintain that all humans are equal in fundamental worth or social status, according to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy^{. [5]} According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the term has two distinct definitions in modern English: ^[6] either as a political doctrine that all people should be treated as equals and have the same political, economic, social, and civil rights; ^[7] or as a social philosophy advocating the removal of economic inequalities among people, economic egalitarianism, or the decentralization of power. Some sources define egalitarianism as the point of view that equality reflects the natural state of humanity. ^[8][9][10]  

                                                                                                                   (www.wikipedia.com)

1. Jump up ^ "Definition of equalitarianism". The Free Dictionary. Houghton Mifflin Company. 2009.
2. Jump up ^ "Definition of equalitarianism". Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, LLC. 2012.
3. Jump up ^ "A scientist's view: why I'm an equalist and not a feminist". The Guardian. The Guardian. 2013.
4. Jump up ^ Egalitarian | Define Egalitarian at Dictionary.com
5. Jump up ^ Arneson Richard, "Egalitarianism", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2002.) Web: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/egalitarianism
6. Jump up ^ Egalitarianism - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary
7. Jump up ^ The American Heritage Dictionary (2003). "egalitarianism".
8. Jump up ^ John Gowdy (1998). Limited Wants, Unlimited Means: A reader on Hunter-Gatherer Economics and the Environment. St Louis: Island Press. p. 342. ISBN 1-55963-555-X.
9. Jump up ^ Dahlberg, Frances. (1975). Woman the Gatherer. London: Yale university press. ISBN 0-30-002989-6.
10. Jump up ^ Erdal, D. & Whiten, A. (1996) "Egalitarianism and Machiavellian Intelligence in Human Evolution" in Mellars, P. & Gibson, K. (eds) Modeling the Early Human Mind. Cambridge MacDonald Monograph Series

3. Although quality is important for every product or service, it may be particularly important for the precision auto parts industry.
   1. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?

Provide immediate feedback for each mistyped sentence. To do so, modify the Test class’s present_test method so that it informs the player a mistake has been made, then display the challenge sentence followed by the player’s sentence so the player can determine where the error lies.

#--------------------------------------------------------------------------

#

# Script Name: TypingChallenge.rb

# Version: 1.0

# Author: Jerry Lee Ford, Jr.

# Date: March 2010

#

# Description: This Ruby script demonstrates how to apply conditional logic

# in order to analyze user input and control script execution

# through the development of a computer typing test that

# evaluates the player's typing skills.

#

#--------------------------------------------------------------------------

# Define custom classes ---------------------------------------------------

#Define a class representing the console window

class Screen

def cls #Define a method that clears the display area

puts ("\n" * 25) #Scroll the screen 25 times

puts "\a" #Make a little noise to get the player's attention

end

  

def pause #Define a method that pauses the display area

STDIN.gets #Execute the STDIN class's gets method to pause script

#execution until the player presses the Enter key

end

  

end

#Define a class representing the typing test

class Test

#This method displays the 8-ball greeting message

def display_greeting

  

Console_Screen.cls #Clear the display area

  

#Display a welcome screen

print "\t\t Welcome to the Ruby Typing Challenge game!" +

"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPress Enter to " +

   "continue. \n\n: "

  

Console_Screen.pause #Pause the game

end

#Define a method to be used to present test instructions

def display_instructions

  

Console_Screen.cls #Clear the display area

puts "\t\t\tInstructions:\n\n" #Display a heading

#Display the game's instructions

puts %Q{ This test consists of a series of 10 typing challenges.

The challenge sentences are presented one at a time. To respond

correctly, you must retype each sentence exactly as shown and press

the Enter key. Your grade will be displayed at the end of the test.

\n\n

Grading format: 9 or better sentences typed correctly will result in an 'A',

8 sentences typed correctly will result in a 'B',

7 sentences typed correctly will result in a 'C',

6 sentences typed correctly will result in a 'D',

less than 6 will result in an 'F'!

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Press Enter to continue.\n\n}

Console_Screen.pause #Pause the game

  

end

#Define a method to be used to present typing challenges

def present_test(challenge)

  

Console_Screen.cls #Clear the display area

print challenge + "\n\n: " #Display the challenge sentence

result = STDIN.gets #Collect the player's input

result.chop! #Remove the end of line marker

  

#Analyze the player input and see if it is correct

if challenge == result then

  

#Keep track of the number of correctly retyped challenge sentences

$noRight += 1

Console_Screen.cls #Clear the display area

#Keep the player informed

print "Correct!\n\nPress Enter to continue."

Console_Screen.pause #Pause the game

  

else

  

Console_Screen.cls #Clear the display area

#Keep the player informed

print "Incorrect!\n\nPress Enter to continue."

Console_Screen.pause #Clear the game

  

end

  

end

#Define a method to be used to display test results

def determine_grade

  

Console_Screen.cls #Clear the display area

  

#To pass the test the player must correctly retype 6 sentences

if $noRight >= 6 then

  

#Inform the player of the good news

print "You retyped " + $noRight.to_s + " sentence(s) correctly. "

puts "You have passed the typing test!\n\nPress Enter to continue."

  

else #The player has failed the test

  

#Inform the player of the bad news

print "You retyped " + $noRight.to_s + " sentence(s) correctly. "

puts "You have failed the typing test!\n\nPress Enter to continue."

  

end

# Grading Sytem for the Challenge

letter Grade = case $noRight

when 9..10 then "A"

when 8 then "B"

when 7 then "C"

when 6 then "D"

else "F"

end

end

# Main Script Logic -------------------------------------------------------

#Initialize global variable that will be used to keep track of the number

#of correctly retyped sentences

$noRight = 0

Console_Screen = Screen.new #Instantiate a new Screen object

Typing_Test = Test.new #Instantiate a new Test object

#Execute the Test object's display_greeting method

Typing_Test.display_greeting

#Execute the Screen object's cls method in order to clear the screen

Console_Screen.cls

#Prompt the player for permission to begin the test

print "Would you like to test your typing skills? (y/n)\n\n: "

answer = STDIN.gets #Collect the player's response

answer.chop! #Remove any extra characters appended to the string

  

#Loop until the player enters y or n and do not accept any other input.

until answer == "y" || answer == "n"

Console_Screen.cls #Clear the display area

#Prompt the player for permission to begin the test

print "Would you like to test your typing skills? (y/n)\n\n: "

answer = STDIN.gets #Collect the player's response

answer.chop! #Remove any extra characters appended to the string

end

#Analyze the player's response

if answer == "n" #See if the player elected not to play

Console_Screen.cls #Clear the display area

#Invite the player to return and play again

puts "Okay, perhaps another time.\n\n"

else #The player wants to take the test

#Execute the Test object's display_instructions method

Typing_Test.display_instructions

  

#Display typing challenges and grade each answer by calling on the

#Test object's present_test method

Typing_Test.present_test "In the end there can be only one."

Typing_Test.present_test "Once a great plague swept across the land."

Typing_Test.present_test "Welcome to Ruby Principles of Ruby Programming"

Typing_Test.present_test "There are very few problems in the world " +

"that enough M&Ms cannot fix."

Typing_Test.present_test "Perhaps today is a good day to die. Fight " +

"beside me and let us die together."

Typing_Test.present_test "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened"

Typing_Test.present_test "Be yourself; everyone else is already taken."

Typing_Test.present_test "So many books, so little time."

Typing_Test.present_test "A room without books is like a body without a soul."

Typing_Test.present_test "You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."

#Notify the player of the results by executing the Test object's

#display_instructions method

Typing_Test.determine_grade

Console_Screen.pause #Pause the game

  

Console_Screen.cls #Clear the display area

#Thank the player for taking the typing test

puts "Thank you for taking the Ruby Typing Challenge.\n\n"

end

(TCO 5) Consider this scenario: John Hopken is the new supervisor of a team of 12 computer programmers. He has been in his position for 10 months, after being promoted to his position from programmer (where he had been in place for 8 years). The promotion was hard-won; four others on his team also applied for the promotion, and when he got his promotion, the other four employees who didn’t get the position were rather disgruntled. One of them lashed out in a meeting early on and called him a yes-man, but otherwise most of the issues have been undercurrents and rumor based. These four employees are referred to as Competitors 1, 2, and 3 and Competitor Yes-Man for the purposes of this question.

During the year, five older members of his team resigned, four through regular retirements and one after being accused of falsifying expense reports. None of the five were in the group of four who had competed against him for his position. John filled all five position openings with outside hires. Three of them had similar backgrounds to John’s—they all went to his alma mater for their computer degrees and like basketball. In fact, last week John and the three of them attended a Bulls game together. These employees will be referred to as Bulls 1, 2, and 3. The other two employees were both females he hired because HR told him he had to. (Up till now, there were no females on the team.) We’ll call them Lady 1 and 2. They don’t like basketball. Lady 1 was hired 6 months ago, and Lady 2 was hired last month.

Now, it is performance appraisal time. Assume each of these employees does a similar amount of work, produces relatively similar amounts of code, and does a good job. None of them create waves, and the new people have gotten their work under way and are working hard. Other than the yes-man meeting and one comment on the men’s room wall saying that “Hopken is a jerk,” things have mostly gone smoothly. John figures that one of the Competitors wrote that.

John is told by HR he has to do performance appraisals this month. He is told to rate his people on a scale of 1–4, where 1 is “not meeting expectations,” 2 is “too new to rate,” 3 is “meeting expectations,” and 4 is “exceeding expectations.” HR said that he must have no more than two 4s, no more than eight 3s, and at least two 1s or 2s. He asks an HR representative what “too new” means, and she says it applies to anyone who has not been in the position for 3 months or more.

He looks at the paperwork and his list, and 20 minutes later has his ratings done with a paragraph scribbled out to provide to his workers.

Here are his ratings and his support paragraph.

Bulls 1: 4: What a great guy—always comes through, works hard, fun loving, makes the day brighter for everyone

Bulls 2: 4: Team player—what a help—great worker and asset to the company

Bulls 3: 3: Always there for the work group—works steady and helpful to others, accurate coder

Lady 1: 3: Always there for the work group—works steady and helpful to others, accurate coder

Other 1: 3: Always there for the work group—works steady and helpful to others, accurate coder

Other 2: 3: Always there for the work group—works steady and helpful to others, accurate coder

Other 3: 3: Always there for the work group—works steady and helpful to others, accurate coder

Competitor 1: 3: Accurate coding and steady performer

Competitor 2: 3: Accurate coding and steady performer

Competitor 3: 3: Accurate coding and steady performer

Lady 2: 2: Too new to rate but next year should be great

Competitor YM: 1: Not a team player and can work harder to prevent discord

Please answer the following questions.

(1) What are the three major methods of conducting appraisals? Briefly explain each one. (12 points)

(2) What method is described here? Justify your answer. (12 points)

(3) Write a memo to HR explaining why you feel this method of performance evaluation needs improvement, and give three specific examples of the improvement you recommend based on the scenario above. (16 points)

Patient Profile: Candace is a 23-year-old, G1P1, MWF, who delivered a 7 pound 8 ounce baby boy three weeks ago at the local birth center. She is very happy about the birth and is adjusting well to motherhood. She breastfed her baby a few minutes after the birth and has continued to exclusively breastfeed him. She intends to breastfeed for at least a year probably starting him on solid foods around six months. Prior to the pregnancy, Candace was a busy office executive in a local shipping firm. She is on a six-week leave of absence. She plans to pump her breast milk for the baby when she returns to work. She is hoping that her mother-in-law who will be caring for the baby, will be able to bring the baby to her workplace at least once a day at noon to breastfeed and then give the baby the breast milk she has left from a bottle for the other feedings. Her mother-in-law will be arriving from out of state in two weeks. Candace is a very “in control person.” She plans everything in her life, and up to this point the world has respected her wishes.

Case Study: Candace called the birth center this morning crying. Her breast on the left side is so sore she cannot stand to have the baby nurse on that side, and to make matters worse, that is the only side the baby will take. For the last 12 hours the baby seems to want to nurse all the time or just cries and sucks his fist. She feels sick, cannot get anything done at home and at 2 p.m. is still in her pajamas with last night’s dinner and this morning’s breakfast dishes still in the sink. She and her husband had an argument this morning and he left for work angry and overtired after getting no sleep all night from the baby crying. He just wants her to stop being so stubborn, since she obviously doesn’t have enough milk, and give the baby some formula. Her car has broken down and she has no other source of transportation. The nurse working at the birth center offers to make a home visit.

5. Why does it appear to Candace’s husband that Candace has lost her milk?

6. On arrival the nruse find that Candac’s left breast mipple is cracked and bleeding slightly. The nurse also notes that Candace has a fever of 101.2, seems lethargic, and has an area the size of a quarter on the underside of her right breast that is firm, red, and warm. Candace tells the nruse that she feels like she has the flu. What is Candace’s problem, what probably caused it and what is the nurs’es next action?

7. The CNM at the birth center calls in a prescription for ampicillin 500 mg po qid for 10 days. Candace starts crying and asks if this means she can no longer breastfeed. What is the nruse’s best response?

8. Outline a teaching plan to reduce the possibility of Candace having another mastitis infection.

9. Why did the baby only want to nurse on the left side?

10. How can the nurse help Candace get him to also nurse on the right side?

11. Where can the nurse refer Candace for support with her breastfeeding?

12. Candace plans to return to work in two weeks. Make a list of decisions and possible problems that she will have to work through during these next two weeks, and after she returns to work, to prepare her and the baby for this transition. Provide alternative suggestions for her to consider.

13. Identify three priority concepts for Candace and three goals for each concept.

Bill Grignard was well for the first 10 months of his life. In the next year he had pneumonia once, several episodes of otitis media (inflammation of middle ear) and on once occasion developed erysipelas (skin streptococcal infection) on his right cheek. These infections were all treated successfully with antibiotics but seemed to his mother, a nurse, that he was constantly on antibiotics.

His mother had two brothers who all died, 30 years prior to Bill’s birth, from pneumonia in their second year of life, before antibiotics were available. She also had two sisters who were well; one had a healthy son and daughter and the other a healthy daughter.

Bill was a bright and active child who gained weight, grew and developed normally but he continued to have repeated infections of the ears and sinuses and twice again pneumonia. At 2 years 3 months his local pediatrician tested his serum immunoglobulin is. He found 80 mg/ dl IgG ( normal is 600-1500 mg/dl), no IgA (normal is 50-125 mg/dl) and only 10 mg/dl IgM (normal is 75-150 mg/dl).

Bill was started on monthly intramuscular injections of gamma globulin; his serum IgG level was maintained at 200 mg/dl. He started school at age 5 years and performed well despite prolonged absences because of recurrent pneumonia and other infections.

At age 9 he was referred to the Children’s Hospital because of atelectasis (partial lung collapse) and a chronic cough. On physical examination he was found to be a well-developed alert boy. He weighed 33.5 kg and was 146 cm tall (normal). The doctor noted he had no visible tonsils (he never had a tonsillectomy). With a stethoscope the doctor also heard rales (moist crackles) at both lung bases.

Further family history revealed that Bill had one younger sibling, John, a 7 year old brother who also had contracted pneumonia on 3 occasions. John had a serum IgG of 150 mg/dl.

Laboratory studies at the time of Bill/s visit to the Children’s Hosptial gave a white blood cell count of 5100/ ul (normal) of which 45% were neutrophils (normal), 43% were lymphocytes (normal), 10% were monocytes (elevated) and 2% were eosinophils (normal).

Flow cytometry showed of lymphocytes, 85% were T cells ( 55% CD4, 29% CD8), however there was a complete lack of B cells (CD19+, normal 12%). Serum IgG remained low at 155 mg/dl and serum IgA and IgM were still undetectable.

3. Read the description paragraph below and identify/diagnose what the patient is experiencing (ie disease or immunological problem).

2. Once you identify the problem, think over what we have covered in class and describe what the outcomes of the disease or immunological problem is in the context of the immune system and where might there be deficiencies or problems with the normal immune system function.

3. Lastly, describe how the immune system would be working in a healthy individual. This could include a brief description of how the specific part of the immune system identified as being deficient normally works in a stepwise pathway that we cover in class. You can either use words to describe these pathways or you can draw pictures well annotated with high detail and include them as pictures with your word document you submit.

JAVA programming Classwork- please answer all prompts as apart of one java programming project

Part A

Add to your project this class Position, which has x and y coordinates.

Create an abstract class GameElt, which has a String name, an int health (keep it in the range 0 to 100) and a Position pos.

For GameElt, include a default constructor that starts pos at (0, 0), and a parameterized constructor that takes x and y coordinates and a name. health should always start at 100.

Create a class BigDarnHero which inherits from GameElt. Override toString so that when we print a hero, we see something like "Thondar the Hero (3, 17)" based on the name and the position. Other than toString and two constructors taking the same parameters as in GameElt, you do not need to add anything else for this class at this time.

Part B

☑ Create an interface MoveStrategy which requires methods

• void move(Position p, String direction)
• boolean chanceToFall()

The idea is that moving in a given direction will change the given position, and chanceToFall will return true if a fall happened or false otherwise. How this happens will depend on the implementation in the actual classes.

Moving North or South will change the Y coordinate (vertical movement) moving East or West will change the X coordinate (horizontal movement). Direction will be passed as "N", "S", "E", or "W".

☑ Write a class WalkMoveStrategy which implements MoveStrategy. When walking, the position changes by 1 in the direction chosen, and a message like "Walking from (7,1) to (7, 2)." should also be printed out.

People who are walking have a 1 in 20 chance of falling. In chanceToFall choose a random number and use it to determine if chanceToFall returns true.

You do not need to add anything other than the methods to implement the strategy, not even a constructor

☑ Change GameElt so that it also has an instance variable moveStrat of type MoveStrategy.

Add to GameElt a method move(direction) which calls moveStrat's move method, passing it the direction given and GameElt's pos instance variable. Then call chanceToFall and if the GameElt fell while moving, print a statement about this and reduce health by 5.

☑ In all constructors for BigDarnHero, set the MoveStrategy to a new instance of WalkMoveStrategy.

☑ In a main program, create a BigDarnHero named "Mighty Thog" at (5, 3) and have them walk three moves north and one west. Print the hero before they move, and again after they have moved.

Part C

☑ Add another class RunMoveStrategy which implements MoveStrategy, and whose move method changes the position by 5 in the direction given, as well as printing something like "Running from (9, 3) to (4, 3). Boy my mighty thews are tired."

People who run have a 1 in 10 chance of falling.

☑ To BigDarnHero, add a method speedUp() which changes the hero's MoveStrategy to a RunMoveStrategy, and a method slowDown which changes the MoveStrategy to a WalkMoveStrategy.

☑ In the main program, have Mighty Thog move around, speed up, move around, slow down, and move around again.

Part D

☑ Add another strategy for movement, RandomCursedMoveStrategy, which changes the position by a random amount in a random direction, no matter what direction is passed in, and prints out something like "Truly, I am accursed and shall never get to class on time".

People moving by this strategy have a 50/50 chance of falling and hurting themselves.

In the main program, create a hero, set this as their movement strategy, and add some movement for them.

Integrative Case 3.4

The Antitrust Case on the AT&T-T Mobile Merger

Mike W. Peng

In 2011, the second-largest US mobile wireless carrier AT&T (with a 25% market share) proposed to merger with the fourth-largest carrier T-Mobile, which had a 15% market share and was a wholly owned subsidiary of Deutsch Telekom. Antitrust authorities blocked this merger. Why?

The Merger

In March 2011, Dallas-based AT&T announced that it had reached an agreement with Deutsch Telekom. (DT) to purchase DTs holy into US subsidiary, T-Mobile USA, four $39 billion. The tub for concentrations in mobile wireless telecommunication services in the US the counter for more than 90% of the market share. Of the big four, the second range AT&T had about 25% market share, and the fourth-ranked T-Mobile had 15%. The largest player was Verizon with 31%, and the third was Sprint Nextel at 20%. Although some small carriers competed in certain regions, no carriers other than the big four competed nationally. After the proposed merger, the combined AT&T and T-Mobile would become the nation’s largest wireless carrier, commanding more than 40% of market share, with 132 million customers and 72 billion in revenues. The scale and scope of the merger would require regulatory approval. AT&T indicated its willingness to sell off certain assets if necessary, and plan to complete merger in one year.

AT&T argued that the merger would allow AT&T to expand 4G LTE broadband to another 55 million Americans, reaching a total of 97% of the population and especially benefit in rural areas currently without broadband coverage. Because T-Mobile was losing money and suffering from its poor economies of scale, and it (and its parent company DT) had been unable to upgrade its networks and invest in 4G broadband. While AT&T was booming and adding customers, T-Mobile was losing customers- it was the only major carrier that did not offer the iPhone. But T-Mobile possessed some hard-to-substitute resources: spectrum. Spectrum represented finite resources auctioned by the federal communications commission (FCC). Exhausting its own spectrum, AT&T could benefit from tapping into T-Mobile’s underutilize spectrum. Accelerating 4G wireless deployment would not only generate new jobs due to AT&T’s own investment, but would also stimulate broader job creation and civil engagement due to better access to more affordable and more widespread wireless broadband services.

A variety of labor, environmental, and business groups supported the merger. These groups pointed to AT&T’s record and commitments to labor and environmental standards, and appreciated the investment and the jobs the merger would bring. Also, civil rights groups applauded the additional boost and civil engagement that could be facilitated by more widespread broadband. Governors of 26 states wrote letters to support the merger.

However, other diverse groups were opposed to this merger. Not surprisingly, Verizon and Sprint did not like the deal, because it would make them weaker. Sprint would become a distant third, so clearly it would not appreciate the outcome.  Verizon would lose its top position, but it would still be a strong player in a new duopoly. Internet companies did not like the merger either, because the merger would leave them with fewer service providers to negotiate with for getting their content and applications to customers. The computer and communication industry Association- which included eBay, Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo as its members- was opposed to the merger. Consumer groups argued that the merger would raise prices and stifle innovation by consolidating so much of the wireless industry in one firm.

On the core issue of whether increasing AT&T’s market power would hurt consumers, AT&T pointed out that the average inflation-adjusted price for wireless services in the United States fell by 50% from 1999 to 2009, according to the government accountability office. AT&T also argued that in many markets AT&T would still be competing with four or more rivals, so taking T-Mobile (which was losing customers anyway) out of the mix would not dent competition. If AT&T could not acquire T-Mobile (which had sizable infrastructure, such as cellular towers and significant spectrum), then AT&T might be forced to build its own infrastructure, which would be an unnecessarily costly undertaking and social waste, especially in crowded urban areas such as San Francisco. But even if AT&T went head-to-head with infrastructure building, it would still suffer from a shortage of spectrum, while T-Mobile, at the same time, could not fully utilize its spectrum- clearly a waste of finite resources.

The Antitrust Case

In August 2011, the US department of justice filed a lawsuit alleging that this merger would reduce competition and violate antitrust law. DOJ alleges that the “anticompetitive harm” of this merger would include:

(a) actual and potential competition between AT&T and T-Mobile would be of limited; (b) competition in general likely will be lessened substantially; (c) prices are likely to be higher than they otherwise would; (d) the quality and quantity of services are likely to be less than they otherwise would due to reduce incentives to invest in capacity and technology improvements; and (e) innovation and product variety likely will be reduced.

In particular, given T-Mobile’s positioning as a self-styled “ disruptive pricing” provider, “AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile,” alleged DOJ, “would eliminate the important price, quality, product variety, and innovation competition that an independent T-Mobile brings to the marketplace.” In addition, DOJ argued:

The substantial increase in concentration that would result from this merger, and the reduction in the number of nationwide providers from 4 to 3, likely will lead to lessened competition due to an enhanced risk of anticompetitive coordination. Certain aspects of mobile wireless communications services markets, including transparent pricing, little buyer-side market power, and high barriers to entry and expansion, make them particularly conductive to coordination.

In conclusion, DOJ argued that the proposed merger would violate section 7 of the Clayton act and that it should be stopped. In the lawsuit, DOJ also sued T-Mobile and DT as co-defendants. On behalf of the US government, DOJ was the sole plaintiff in its first complaint filed on August 31, 2011. In its first amended complaint filed on September 16, DOJ was joined by the states of New York, Washington, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Pennsylvania as co-plaintiffs. And it’s second amended complaint filed on September 30, Puerto Rico joined as a co-plaintiff. The case was officially the United States et al. v. AT&T Inc. et al.

AT&T was not a stranger to antitrust lawsuits. Today’s AT&T is the direct result of the first United States vs AT&T antitrust lawsuit. Because of its monopoly and long-distance (land-line) telephone, the original AT&T (“Ma Bell”) was forced by DOJ to break up into Sevan regional bell operating companies (known as “Baby Bells”) in 1983. Between 1983 and 2005, today’s AT&T was one of these Baby Bells named Southwestern Bell Corporation between 1983 and 1995, and shortened to SBC between 1995 and 2005. Due to its successful market performance, SBC emerged as a leading offspring of the original AT&T (Verizon was another leading off-spring). In 2005, SBC spent $16 billion to purchase its former parent company, AT&T corporation- a Baby Bell acquiring Ma Bell. Quitting in the SBC name, the merged entity named itself AT&T Inc. and took on the iconic AT&T branding (including it’s logo and its stock ticker “T”, which simply sounds for “telephone”). Before the filing of the second United States versus AT&T case, the economist asked: “Could the bid for T-Mobile be a sign that monopoly Ma is trying to return from her grave?”

The Outcome

In November 2011, the FCC issued its opinion and joined DOJ in opposing the merger. In December 2011 (before the antitrust case went on trial), AT&T gave up the merger and DOJ dismissed the case. A triumphant DOJ announced:

Consumers won today… Had AT&T acquire T-Mobile, consumers in the wireless market place would have faced higher prices and reduce innovation. We sued to protect consumers who rely on competition in this important industry. With the parties’ abandonment, we achieved that result.

A frustrated AT&T noted in its press release:

[Dallas, Texas, December 19, 2011] AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) said today bad after a thorough review of options it has agreed with Deutsch Telekom AG to end its bid to acquire T-Mobile USA, which began in March of this year.

The actions by the federal communications commission and the Department of Justice to block this transaction did not change the realities of the US wireless industry. It is one of the most fiercely competitive industries in the world, with a mounting need for more spectrum that has not diminished and must be addressed immediately. The AT&T and T-Mobile USA combination would have offered an interim solution to the spectrum shortage. In the absence of such steps, customers will be harmed and needed investment will be stifled.

“AT&T will continue to be aggressive in leading the mobile Internet revolution,” said Randall Stephenson, AT&T chairman and CEO. “Over the past four years we have invested more in our networks than any other US company. As a result, today we deliver best-in-class mobile broadband speeds- connecting smartphones, tablets, and emerging devices at a record pace- and we are well underway with our nationwide 4G LTE deployment.

“To meet the needs of our customers, we will continue to invest,” Stephenson said. “However, adding capacity to meet these needs will require policymakers to do two things. First, in the near term, they should allow the free markets to work so that additional spectrum is available to meet the immediate needs of the US wireless industry, including expeditiously approving our acquisition of unused Qualcomm spectrum currently pending before the FCC. Second, policymakers should enact legislation to meet our nation’s longer-term spectrum needs.

“ The mobile Internet is a dynamic industry that can be a critical driver in restoring American economic growth and job creation, but only if companies are allowed to react quickly to consumer needs and market forces’, Stephenson said.

The fine prints in the deal included DOJ’s blessing of AT&T and T-Mobile’s collaboration in roaming. The more significant (or, if you will, the more bizarre) outcome was that as per AT&T’s original deal with DT, in the event of merger failure, AT&T would pay T-Mobile $3 billion as a break-up fee and give T-Mobile $1 billion worth of AT&T-held wireless spectrum. In short, the US government reduced the competitiveness of a US firm by forcing a US firm to subsidize the wholly owned subsidiary of a foreign firm.

In the name of preserving (domestic) competition, the US government preserved a (foreign) competitor. “The problem is,” noted one expert at Slate, “ T-Mobile doesn’t want to be a competitor anymore. It’s parent company DT wants out of the US market.” As the weakest among the big four, T-Mobile only added 89,000 new customers between 2009 and 2011, while the industry took in 33 million new customers. By essentially giving up since March 2011, T-Mobile lost 467,000 lucrative contract customers during the merger process. By focusing on its terms of exit, T-Mobile turned its attention away from network upgrades and improvements. DOJ and FCC cannot force T-Mobile to be in business, just like no one can force customers to sign up for plans they do not want. By breathing a new lease on life into T-Mobile, that was exactly what DOJ and FCC did: forcing T-Mobile to be in business against its (and it’s parents company’s) own wishes. The same expert at Slate continued:

Sure, companies like T-Mobile and Sprint can offer cheaper plans, but the success of Verizon and AT&T shows price is not our primary concern when it comes to wireless service. We want shiny smartphones and big, powerful, reliable networks… Rather than stay for competition, the merger would have intensified the war between the two giants, AT&T and Verizon. And for those people for whom price is paramount, there would remain not only Sprint, but a slew of smaller, regional providers like Leap and MetroPCS.

In 150 words or more complete the following (use outside sources/ information if possible):

Defend this merger as T-Mobile‘s or Deutsch Telekom’s CEO (both firms were co-defendants in this case).