what should this program do?

Write a program (Lab8.cpp) that will ask the user for two file names. You will read the characters from each file and put them in separate queues. Then, you will read each character from each queue and compare it. If every character from both queues is the same, you will print “The files are identical.” Otherwise, you will print “The files are not identical.”

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Create a character queue (named queue1) using the Standard Template Library Queue class.
2. Create a second character queue (named queue2) using the Standard Template Library Queue class.
3. Ask user for first file name & read into a c-string.
4. Ask user for second file name & read into a c-string
5. Open first file for input.
6. Open second file for input.
7. Use a loop to read each character (one-at-a-time) from the file and push each character in queue1.
8. Use a loop to read each character (one-at-a-time) from the file and push each character in queue2.
9. Close the files.
10. While the two queues are not empty:
    1. Compare the front character from each of the two queues
    2. Remove (pop) a node from both queues.
11. If all of the characters were the same from both queues, print “The files are identical.”
12. Otherwise, print “The files are not identical.”

Test Your Program

I provided text files (fileA1, fileA2, fileB1, fileB2) for your operating system (Go down)

First, run your program using fileA1.txt & fileA2.txt as your input. Your program should report “The files are identical.”

Second, run your program using fileB1.txt & fileB2.txt as your input. Your program should report “These files are not identical.”

What to turn in

• Lab8.cpp
• fileA1.txt
• fileA2.txt
• fileB1.txt
• fileB2.txt

Text files:

1- fileA1.txt

One day, a boy was digging in his garden, when he saw a big toe sticking out of the ground. He tried to pick it up, but it was stuck. It wouldn’t budge, so he pulled as hard as he could and it came off in his hand. Then he heard something groan and scamper away.

The boy took the big toe into the kitchen and showed it to his mom.

“That looks nice piece of meat,” she said. “I’ll put it in the soup, and we’ll have it for dinner.”

That night, at the dinner table, the boy’s father scooped the big toe out of the soup and chopped it up into three pieces. The father, the mother and the boy each ate a piece. Then they did the dishes, and when it got dark they went to bed.

The boy fell asleep almost at once. But in the middle of the night, he was rudely awakened by a strange sound. He listened closely. It sounded like there was a voice coming from outside his window and it was calling to him.

“Where is my big toe?” it groaned.

When the boy heard that, he got very scared. But he thought, “It doesn’t know where I am. It never will find me.”

Then he heard the voice once more. Only now it was closer.

“Where is my big toe?” it groaned.

The boy pulled the blankets over his head and closed his eyes. “I’ll go to sleep,” he thought. “When I wake up it will be gone.”

But soon he heard the back door open, and again he heard the voice.

“Where is my big toe?” it groaned.

Then the boy heard footsteps move through the kitchen into the dining room, into the living room, into the front hall. They slowly climbed the stairs. Closer and closer they came. Soon they were in the upstairs hall. Now they were outside his door.

“Where is my toe?” the voice groaned.

The boy watched in horror as his bedroom door opened. Shaking with fear, he threw his bedclothes over his head and listened as the footsteps slowly moved through the dark towards his bed.

Then they stopped.

“Where is my toe?” the voice groaned. “YOU’VE GOT IT!”

Alternate ending
The boy hears the voice calling for its toe, he finds a strange looking creature up inside the chimney. The boy is so frightened he can’t move. He just stands there and stares at it.

Finally, he asks: “W-w-w-what you got such big eyes for?”

The creature answers: “To look you thro-o-o-ugh and thro-o-o-ugh!”

“W-w-w-what you got such big claws for?”

2- fileA2.txt

One day, a boy was digging in his garden, when he saw a big toe sticking out of the ground. He tried to pick it up, but it was stuck. It wouldn’t budge, so he pulled as hard as he could and it came off in his hand. Then he heard something groan and scamper away.

The boy took the big toe into the kitchen and showed it to his mom.

“That looks nice piece of meat,” she said. “I’ll put it in the soup, and we’ll have it for dinner.”

That night, at the dinner table, the boy’s father scooped the big toe out of the soup and chopped it up into three pieces. The father, the mother and the boy each ate a piece. Then they did the dishes, and when it got dark they went to bed.

The boy fell asleep almost at once. But in the middle of the night, he was rudely awakened by a strange sound. He listened closely. It sounded like there was a voice coming from outside his window and it was calling to him.

“Where is my big toe?” it groaned.

When the boy heard that, he got very scared. But he thought, “It doesn’t know where I am. It never will find me.”

Then he heard the voice once more. Only now it was closer.

“Where is my big toe?” it groaned.

The boy pulled the blankets over his head and closed his eyes. “I’ll go to sleep,” he thought. “When I wake up it will be gone.”

But soon he heard the back door open, and again he heard the voice.

“Where is my big toe?” it groaned.

Then the boy heard footsteps move through the kitchen into the dining room, into the living room, into the front hall. They slowly climbed the stairs. Closer and closer they came. Soon they were in the upstairs hall. Now they were outside his door.

“Where is my toe?” the voice groaned.

The boy watched in horror as his bedroom door opened. Shaking with fear, he threw his bedclothes over his head and listened as the footsteps slowly moved through the dark towards his bed.

Then they stopped.

“Where is my toe?” the voice groaned. “YOU’VE GOT IT!”

Alternate ending
The boy hears the voice calling for its toe, he finds a strange looking creature up inside the chimney. The boy is so frightened he can’t move. He just stands there and stares at it.

Finally, he asks: “W-w-w-what you got such big eyes for?”

The creature answers: “To look you thro-o-o-ugh and thro-o-o-ugh!”

“W-w-w-what you got such big claws for?”

“To scra-a-a-tch up your gra-a-a-a-ve!”

“W-w-w-what you got such a big mouth for?”

“To swallow you who-o=o-le!”

“W-w-w-what you got such sharp teeth for?”

“TO CHOMP YOUR BONES!

3- fileB1.txt

Dont ever laugh
As a Hearse goes by
For you may be the next to die
They wrap you up
In a big white sheet
From your head down to your feet
They put you in a big black box
And cover you up with dirt and rocks
And all goes well
For about a week
And then your coffin begins to leak
And the worms crawl in, the worms crawl out
The worms play pinochle on your snout
They eat your eyes, they eat your noes
They eat the jelly between your toes
A big green worm with rolling eyes
Crawls in your stomach and out your eyes
Your stomach turns a slimy green
And puss comes out like whipping cream
You spread it on a slice of bread
And thats what you eat when your dead
And the worms crawl out and the worms crawl in
The worms that crawl in are lean and thin
The ones that crawl out are fat and stout
Your eyes fall in and your hair falls out
Your brain comes tumbling down your snout
And the worms crawl in, the worms crawl out
They crawl all over your dirty snout
Your chest caves in and your eyes pop out
Your brain turns to saurkraut
They invite their friends, and their friends too
They all come down to chew on you
And this is what it is to die, i hope you had a nice goodbye
Did you ever think as a Hearse goes by
That you might be the next to die
And your eyes fall out and your teeth decay
And that is the end of a perfect... day

4-fileB2.txt

Dance 'til you're dead
Heads will roll
Heads will roll
Heads will roll
On the floor
Glitter on the west streets
Silver over everything
The rivers all wet
You're all chrome
Dripping with alchemy
Shiver stop shivering
The glitter's all wet
You're all chrome
The men cry out the girls cry out
The men cry out the girls cry out
The men cry out, oh no
The men cry out the girls cry out
The men cry out the girls cry out
The men cry out, oh no
Off, off with your head
Dance, dance 'til you're dead
Heads will roll
Heads will roll
Heads will roll
On the floor
You came last
Take the past
Shut your eyes
Realize
You came last
Take the past
Shut your eyes
Realize
Glitter on the west streets
Silver over everything
The glitter's all wet
You're all chrome
You're all chrome

Do not offer solutions! Write about how you might approach the intervention.

1. Research and identify appropriate interventions, strategies for implementation, and methods for evaluation to resolve organizational problems and take advantage of opportunities.

2. Apply management principles to support organizational transformation and change.

Pigs R Us is a second generation, family-owned Richmond-based company with about 400 employees. It slaughters, manufactures, and sells pork food products. Pigs R Us (PRU) is a low-tech, hands-on, “bricks and mortar” type of company with solid brand recognition, an impeccable reputation for high quality and ethical standards. The processes used in manufacturing are with the highest ISO20002 standards, and the plant is maintained immaculately. The personnel are comprised of an older work force (average employee age is late 40s). There is little staff turnover, though lately there have been a diverse group of younger workers joining the company. There has been an impressive record of speedy state and federal new-product approvals, and solid working relationships with their large and small customers.

The company prides itself on the close "southern family," culture of the business. The company logo features a pig with a smile on its face surrounded by small pictures of some of its oldest serving employees. The organization's structure is “old-fashioned”. It is hierarchical with rigid management divisions and reporting policies. Research, manufacturing, and sales and marketing operate in traditional fashion, with employees reporting to supervisors or mid-level managers. By the 1990s, sales and distribution grew from Richmond into a regional market, establishing a competitive advantage throughout the US South. Despite downward economic times in the US and the South, the pork business does well. This is due largely to the fact that Pork is one of the cheaper meat products and there is a variety of ways it can be prepared.

Owned by the Morris family for the last 60 years, Pigs R Us is a key player in the Richmond based food industry. Various Morris family members sit on the board of charities throughout the city and it is not unusual to see the name at society events. Further, the Company sponsors its own Little League Team and has built a recreation center and assisted living facility for the elderly, guaranteeing space for all former 20+ year veteran workers of the company for free. So, it was no surprise, that the whole community was devastated when it was announced by the Morris family that Vance Morris the CEO of Pigs R Us was killed while driving back from a Pigs R US board meeting. The plant closed for a week to show respect and to determine how it would function until the family could make its succession decisions.

Vance Morris was the only son of James and Kathleen Morris. Vance took over the business 10 years before when his father had a heart attack and died. Fresh out of graduate school when his father died. He took over the business that he had known well much to the pleasure and keen eye of the workers. Vance made some marketing changes that allowed for the growth of the company and with the help of the employees brought the plant into its current state. Vance had just gotten married the year before to a young Richmond artist he had met at one of his charity benefits. He had no heirs and no plans for succession as he was in his mid-thirties and had just gotten married. While Vance had cousins in the area they were all professional people who knew nothing about business or pork. The workers could only surmise that the company would be sold, but speculation as to whom it might be did not include someone from out of the city.

Before the deal was announced publicly, John’s widow, Arleen, reported to the workers that a Chinese company, Shanghou (SHU), would be buying Pigs R US. Mrs. Morris assured the workers that the SHU promised not to cut workers' wages and benefits, and to keep the current management team in place. She said that SHU also promised to keep Pork R US headquarters in Richmond. Arleen assured the workers that SHU promised that there would be no changes for the first year and that almost everything would remain the same. From her talks with SHU, Arleen is a bit worried about future changes that SHU may implement.

SHU is a large manufacturer and distributor of food and beverages with, headquarters in Hong Kong. Manufacturing plants operate in mainland China, and the company has additional offices in Europe and Australia. By acquiring the smaller, well-respected Pork R US, SHU aims to diversify and expand its consumer base by including tailor-made pork products globally to meet market projections of a customer upsurge in sustainable, non-beef meats in the next decade. Given SHU’s current availability of telecommunications software and hardware, the deployment of the Pigs R US refrigeration trucks should not be an insurmountable issue.

Many PRU employees, especially the older workers and some of the older managers, are dispirited about the acquisition, and anxious about working for foreigners, downsizing, less face-to-face interaction, language differences, and more electronic systems that are to be put in place. Some of the of the more experienced workers are considering to move or consider an early retirement due to the ongoing rumors about the acquisition. To make matters worse, recent news media have printed stories about tainted food made by other companies in China. Employees fear loss of product quality and damage to PRU’s reputation as well as the loss of the family southern culture that was their pride and joy.

SHU has told PRU workers that for now, most employees will be retained. However, all employees will be evaluated, and reassigned to teams as the new flat structure is put in place. The new CEO is Harvard-educated Daniel Chinn. He supports increasing the company's competitive edge by discovering and developing existing individual potential through group collaboration and team synergy. Ever since his days as a brilliant, hard-driving MBA student; he has been known to be an enthusiastic supporter of job training and career growth. Like many of SHU’s employees, David is in his early thirties. He speaks four languages and is ambitious, self-directed, tech-savvy, accustomed to working remotely, and experienced with a culturally diverse staff. David is eager to make his newest acquisition a success. He wants to move forward on the integration of "Pork R US’ workers into SHU because Chinn believes they are the “greatest asset have a rich knowledge base and experience can be tapped into to bring the company success." Chinn is concerned about the mix of culture and how his ideas of incorporating artificial intelligence and more robotics into the manufacturing processes will be received by management and the workers at the newly acquired plant.

Scenario

The student will use the following situation that has evolved because of the buy out to complete each section of the project. Additional facts will be added to phase two and three of the project to allow students to complete a typical OD process analysis.

Daniel Chinn is anxious to keep the “southern family” culture of Pigs R Us but at the same time wants to use the most modern of manufacturing techniques. He decided that the best way to do this was to start a pilot change operation in the packaging area to demonstrate to the workers the effectiveness of technology. He bought and set up for use 3D printers in the packaging room. The printers were able to create reusable shipping materials and operate in conjunction with the product conveyor for fast and easy. packaging. He brought in two trained 3D printer operators from China to handle the work along with two robots that would move the package material and create shrink-wrapped pallets for loading on to the trucks.

The current packaging department employs 5 workers on day shift and 3 newer workers on the night shift. All day shift workers are in their early fifties and have been working for Pigs R Us all their lives. John Mellon, the lead line man, exemplifies the group. He is 53 years old. He has a family of three children most all are grown. One works in the business with him as the manager of accounting department having gotten a college degree unlike his father. John rarely travels out of state and has never been abroad. He is not terribly familiar with technology. He has a Smart TV but his children have set it up for him to use Netflix.

When the new employees arrived, the packaging staff tried to get to know them but had little in common and found it hard to communicate with them. The new workers ate together at lunch and always with food they brought with them despite offers of food brought in by the older employees to show their “southern roots”. Things are strained between the groups because the older employees thought they were being snubbed and many are uncertain as to the customs and language unable to communicate their real feelings. This all operated to create a schism among the workers which escalated into job performance and employment commitment issues when the six-month results from the 3D/Robot pilot showed the following success in favor of new technology.

The results showed such a marked process improvement with the added benefit of creating materials that were sustainable. The immediate reaction among the older workers was fear for their jobs. The new workers suddenly were the enemy. Chinn was pleased with the new process and indicated that the 3D printing approach would be continued. The word of the decision spread among the families in the company and the “southern family” culture was now closing ranks on the newcomers both in the packaging room and in the other departments thus confirming their fears when news of the buyout surfaced.

Define what a SWOT is, how it is used to develop a new service or business.  Be sure to write a SWOT for this new service or business

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Question: Electronics Unlimited was considering the introduction of a new product that was expected to reac...

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Electronics Unlimited was considering the introduction of a new product that was expected to reach sales of $10 million in its first full year, and $13 million of sales in the second year. Because of intense competition and rapid product obsolescence, sales of the new product were expected to remain unchanged between the second and third years following introduction. Thereafter, annual sales were expected to decline to two-thirds of peak annual sales in the fourth year, and one-third of peak sales in the fifth year. No material levels of revenues or expenses associated with the new product were expected after five years of sales. Based on past experience, cost of sales for the new product were expected to be 60% of total annual sales revenue during each year of its life cycle. Selling, general, and administrative expenses were expected to be 23.5% of total annual sales. Taxes on profits generated by the new product would be paid at a 40% rate.

To launch the new product, Electronics Unlimited would have to incur immediate cash outlays of two types. First, it would have to invest $500,000 in specialized new production equipment. This capital investment would be fully depreciated on a straight-line basis over the five-year anticipated life cycle of the new product. It was not expected to have any material salvage value at the end of its depreciable life. No further fixed capital expenditures were required after the initial purchase of equipment.

Second, additional investment in net working capital to support sales would have to be made. Electronics Unlimited generally required 27¢ of net working capital to support each dollar of sales. As a practical matter, this buildup would have to be made by the beginning of the sales year in question (or, equivalently, by the end of the previous year). As sales grew, further investments in net working capital ahead of sales would have to be made. As sales diminished, net working capital would be liquidated and cash recovered. At the end of the new product’s life cycle, all remaining net working capital would be liquidated and the cash recovered.

Finally, Electronics Unlimited expected to incur tax-deductible introductory expenses of $200,000 in the first year of the new product’s sales. These costs would not be recurring over the product’s life cycle. Approximately $1.0 million had already been spent developing and test marketing the new product. These expenditures were also one-time expenses that would not be recurring during the new product’s life cycle.

A. Estimate the new product’s future sales, profits, and cash flows throughout its five-year life cycle.

B. Assuming a 20% discount rate, what is the product’s net present value? (Except for changes in net working capital, which must be made before the start of each sales year, you should assume that all cash flows occur at the end of the year in question.) What is its internal rate of return?

C. Should Electronics Unlimited introduce the new product?

The Acme Company just bought a new machine that makes markers. In a random sample of 250 markers from the new machine, they find that 235 markers work. They want to test if the true proportion of working markers from the new machine is greater than 90%. Assuming that they use the approximate methodology, find the p-value of the test.

The Acme Company just bought a new machine that makes markers. In a random sample of 250 markers from the new machine, they find that 240 markers work. They want to test if the true proportion of working markers from the new machine is greater than 90%. Which is the correct alternative hypothesis?

The Acme Company just bought a new machine that makes markers. They want to test if the true proportion of working markers from the new machine is greater than 90% at the 5% significance level. They take a random sample of 250 markers from the new machine. They find a test statistic of 2.108 with a p-value of 0.0175. Which is the correct conclusion?

A golf instructor is trying out a new technique for teaching her students. She randomly selects twenty of her students. She records the score of each student before the new technique and after the new technique. Is there evidence at α = 0.05 that true mean scores before and after the technique are different? Justify fully! You can assume normal populations where needed. She does not know which test to run, so she runs two. The outputs are given. Which is the correct design and conclusion?

Matched Pairs Design                         Welch’s (Independent) T Test

Test Statistic = 2.268                           Test Statistic = 1.218

p-value = 0.035                                   p-value = 0.231

MARKETING RESEARCH

The principal activity of General Mills is to produce and market packaged consumer food products. The products include cereals, desserts, flour and baking mixes, dinner and side dish products, organic products, snacks, beverages and yogurt products. The products are sold under the brand names namely: Cheerios, Wheaties, Lucky Charms, Total, Chex, Pillsbury, Haagen-Dazs, Betty Crocker and Bugles. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is one of the major customers of the Group. As of 2005, the company operated in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe and Asia/Pacific.

In order to determine the impact of an important strategic move, such as lowering prices or introducing new products, General Mills uses marketing research. General Mills ran into problems when a pesticide panic hurt sales and private label makers started to cut into their market share. Store brands have become increasingly popular with consumers. Store owners took advantage of cereal prices of up to $5 per box, resulting in increased market share for the store brands. At least one cereal maker, Quaker Oats, started making a house brand version of its cereal. Quaker’s lower priced-bagged-copies of leading brands have grown rapidly and advanced Quaker’s market share to over 10%. Ralcorp Holdings Inc., the leading maker of private label cereals, expects the trend of house or private brands gaining increased market share to continue, since only about half of the leading cereals have private label competition. Ralcorp expects to gain a larger portion of the market as it continues to introduce more imitations. Some industry experts believe that unless the big brand name cereal prices are cut, or the promotions increased, this trend will continue.

In order to address this problem, General Mills conducted problem solving research to determine what, if any changes they should make to their price and promotions strategy. In order to determine the effects of changes, consumer surveys were undertaken followed by test marketing. The results of General Mills test markets suggested several pricing and promotional changes that would help increase their success. General Mills cut prices on several of its cereal lines. Along with this price reduction, General Mills cut its coupon and promotion budget in an effort to halt spiraling costs and to reduce the price gap between General Mills’ products and the competition, which had been as high as 25% in the past.   

In addition to lowering prices, General Mills launched sweetened cereals to capture the aging baby boomer market. In January 2005, the company introduced Fiber One Honey Clusters, which has slightly sweetened flakes instead of the original Fiber One’s fiber twigs. This introduction was based on the belief that if a product does not taste good, it does not matter what the nutritional benefits are. It is not going to be a success. The sweetened cereals have also helped to insulate General Mills from price competition. Private labels are less likely to knock off the sweetened brands, either because they are too narrowly targeted at market niches or because store labels cannot compete with the hefty marketing budget of General Mills. These moves have increased General Mills’ sales and profits. The strategy of consistently low prices and introducing niche products, supported by marketing research, is paying high dividends for General Mills.

Questions

2.              If General Mills decides to conduct causal research to determine the effects of the "Fiber One Honey Clusters' flavor" on demand for cereals by baby boomers, what type of true experiments would you advise them to design? why and how? . (20 points -200 words approx.)

ASAP PLEASE!!!!

MARKETING RESEARCH

The principal activity of General Mills is to produce and market packaged consumer food products. The products include cereals, desserts, flour and baking mixes, dinner and side dish products, organic products, snacks, beverages and yogurt products. The products are sold under the brand names namely: Cheerios, Wheaties, Lucky Charms, Total, Chex, Pillsbury, Haagen-Dazs, Betty Crocker and Bugles. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is one of the major customers of the Group. As of 2005, the company operated in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe and Asia/Pacific.

In order to determine the impact of an important strategic move, such as lowering prices or introducing new products, General Mills uses marketing research. General Mills ran into problems when a pesticide panic hurt sales and private label makers started to cut into their market share. Store brands have become increasingly popular with consumers. Store owners took advantage of cereal prices of up to $5 per box, resulting in increased market share for the store brands. At least one cereal maker, Quaker Oats, started making a house brand version of its cereal. Quaker’s lower priced-bagged-copies of leading brands have grown rapidly and advanced Quaker’s market share to over 10%. Ralcorp Holdings Inc., the leading maker of private label cereals, expects the trend of house or private brands gaining increased market share to continue, since only about half of the leading cereals have private label competition. Ralcorp expects to gain a larger portion of the market as it continues to introduce more imitations. Some industry experts believe that unless the big brand name cereal prices are cut, or the promotions increased, this trend will continue.

In order to address this problem, General Mills conducted problem solving research to determine what, if any changes they should make to their price and promotions strategy. In order to determine the effects of changes, consumer surveys were undertaken followed by test marketing. The results of General Mills test markets suggested several pricing and promotional changes that would help increase their success. General Mills cut prices on several of its cereal lines. Along with this price reduction, General Mills cut its coupon and promotion budget in an effort to halt spiraling costs and to reduce the price gap between General Mills’ products and the competition, which had been as high as 25% in the past.   

In addition to lowering prices, General Mills launched sweetened cereals to capture the aging baby boomer market. In January 2005, the company introduced Fiber One Honey Clusters, which has slightly sweetened flakes instead of the original Fiber One’s fiber twigs. This introduction was based on the belief that if a product does not taste good, it does not matter what the nutritional benefits are. It is not going to be a success. The sweetened cereals have also helped to insulate General Mills from price competition. Private labels are less likely to knock off the sweetened brands, either because they are too narrowly targeted at market niches or because store labels cannot compete with the hefty marketing budget of General Mills. These moves have increased General Mills’ sales and profits. The strategy of consistently low prices and introducing niche products, supported by marketing research, is paying high dividends for General Mills.

Questions

1. In its attempt to perform descriptive research design, what type(s) of survey and observation methods do you recommend to be used by General Mills in order to determine their pricing and promotional strategies needed to face private labels. ( 20 points - 250 words approx.)

ASAP PLEASE!!

In this chapter, we have noted how businesses are dynamic and constantly looking to exploit new opportunities that involve changing the way they operate production. What might not have been a success for some firms does not mean to say that there are no other firms that will be able to benefit. This article shows how problems faced by one firm in making sufficient profits are not necessarily shared by other firms as the use of factor inputs is changed.    

Best Buy Fails to Break UK Market.

US electrical retailer, Best Buy, made an attempt to enter the UK electrical retail market in 2010. The retailer is known across the united states for its high-quality sales staff and discount prices and attempted to bring its business model to the crowded UK market which features the likes of Currys, Argos, Dixons, and Comet.

The plans to enter the UK market arose when Best Buy Inc. brought half of the Carphone Warehouse's retail interests. Plans were made to open up to 200 so-called 'Big-Box' stores throughout the UK within the first one opening in Thurrock, Essex in April 2010. However, facing strong competition a lack of brand recognition by UK consumers, and the rapid growth of online retailing from firms like Amazon, Best Buy found things difficult and by January 2012 a decision was made to close down its 11bricks and mortar retail operations following losses of around 62 million pounds.

The decision to close down was made after consideration was given to commit more capital to its operations in an attempt to secure the advantages of large-scale production - economies of scale. In the end, the cost of such an investment in relation to the expected benefits in a market which was challenging (given the economic situation in the UK, the income elasticity of demand for electrical goods in general, and the increasing use of online as the medium of choice for shoppers), meant that option was discounted.

The decision to close down operations will have been takin in the light of the expected costs of trying to maintain its presence on the high street and the future of the industry as a whole. it would not have been taken lightly as reports suggested closing down would cost Best Buy and Carphone Warehouse around 100 million pounds.

One option being considered was selling its stores to the UK's fourth-largest supermarket group by share, Morrisons. Morrisons was reported to have expressed interest in acquiring the stores, mostly in large out-of-town retail sites, for its Kiddicare brand of baby, infant, and small children's products such as toys, pushchairs, costs, and so on.

The reports caused interest in the markets and some surprise given the challenges that exist in that market for some of the reasons that Best Buy found life difficult. An increasing trend to purchase goods online and the economic climate had already seen retailers like Mothercare and its Early Learning Centre stores facing declining sales and profits. Kiddicare had been an almost exclusively online operation and so the decision by Morrisons to move into the bricks and mortar sector was seen as a high-risk move.

Questions:

1. For Morrisons, what is the difference between the short run and the long run in this case?

2. Explain some of the reasons why Best Buy made such losses in the UK given its global size.

3. How might Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy have gained economies of scale if they had 'committed new capital'?

4. Why might Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy 'incur a cost of as much as 100 million pounds' in closing down the stores?

5. If Mothercare is 'troubled' why might Morrisons believe it can succeed with Kiddicare?

Disruptive technologies offer a new way of doing things that initially does not meet the needs of existing customers. Disruptive technologies redefine the competitive playing fields of their respective markets, open new markets and destroy old ones. this week is to talk about a disruptive technology that offered a new way of doing something and the market that it destroyed.

It is claimed that a new treatment of a very serious disease will substantially reduce the mortality of that disease from its present rate of 25%.We observe an SRS of 100 patients who have submitted to the new treatment and note that only 10 of them die from this disease. Does the new treatment seem to make a significant improvement?