Assignment 3 High School Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Assignment 3 High School - Math Problem Example f '(x) = -2x + 200 = 0 Hence: x = 100 c. Graph the function: Profit The given graph is parabolic. As expected, the profit is positive from x = 20 to x =180 verifying our answer in b. It can also be seen that the maximum profit can be found in x = 100. 2. The population of the country is 50 million. Two months ago, the government required its citizen to purchase an identity card. After one month, 6 million people had it and by the end of the second month, 10 million people had one. a. Model N (number of cards) as a function of t (months) using the form: N = a + b/ (t+c) Given are the following: When t = 1 then N = 6,000,000 hence: 6,000,000 = a + b/(1+c) [eq.1] t = 2 N = 10,000,000 hence: 10,000,000 = a + b/(2+c) [eq.2] and of course, when t = 0 N = 0 hence: 0 = a + b/c or a= -b/c [eq.3] Simplifying eq. 1 and inserting the value of a from eq. 3, we have: 6,000,000 = -b/c + b/(1+c) 6,000,000 = (-b -bc +bc) / [c*(1+c)] 6,000,000 = -b/[c*(1+c)] but -b/c = a 6,000,000 = a / (1+c) a = 6,000,000 + 6,000,000c [eq.4] Simplifying eq. 1 and inserting the value of a from eq. 3, we have: 10,000,000 = -b/c + b/ (2+c) 10,000,000 = (-2b -bc +bc) / [c*(2+c)] 10,000,000 = -2b/[c*(2+c)] but -b/c = a 10,000,000 = 2a / (2+c) a = 10,000,000 + 5,000,000c [eq.5] By equation 4 & 5, we can get easily get the value of a & c: a = 30,000,000 c =4 By eq. 3, a = - b/c or b = -ac. Hence: b = -120,000,000 The model equation is therefore: N = 30,000,000 + (-120,000,000)/ (t +4) b. What is the function called Graph and define its features: The function is of the type Rational function because the equations can be expressed as a ratio of two polynomial...The intersections of the revenue and cost lines represent also the value where there is no profit or loss. In addition, it can be seen that costs and average costs intersect at some point. This can be determined with the following solution: 6. Market research suggests that potential market for a product is 800,000. At year 1, the market penetration has reached 50% or 400,000. At year 2, the market penetration has reached 75% or 600,000. Using the following model below, answer the following questions:

Assignment Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Assignment - Case Study Example The challenges that southwest airlines faces are due to the competition. The mission of Southwest Airlines is â€Å"dedication to the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit†. Unlike other competitors, Southwest Airlines places employees’ satisfaction as one of the priorities for the successful business. The company follows a â€Å"loose-tight design† for the operations and decision making. The company has a tight policy and procedures in place for the cost control mechanism and scheduling. However, a rather informal structure is used to limit the scope of work of each employee. Southwest airlines give harmony to the employees to gain experience by their own creative thoughts and ideas. Employees are not limited to a single procedure in which they can get their job done. They are treated as ‘humans’ rather than machines. The financial analysis of the company reveals that company has performed well for numerous years. The net profit figure of 182.6 million in 1995 has risen up to 207.3 million in 1996. The low-cost model and low-fare are the basis of the success that Southwest Airlines enjoy. The aircraft that southwest Airlines use has 243 coach seats as compared to the American’s airlines having 635 seats. The flight meals are cut down as a part of the low cost model Southwest Airlines follow. The short-haul airline, Southwest, does not provide luxury seats and finds services like meals during the flight as unneeded. It rather emphasizes on lowest possible fares and costs to attract more customers who want to travel for shorter distances like from one city to the other. If we try to find out the major challenges that Southwest confronts, it can be noticed that Southwest Airlines has more power over the suppliers when it comes to quench its need of services and products that suppliers bring. Similarly the customers are less

Shape Memory Alloys Manufacturing Processes

Shape Memory Alloys Manufacturing Processes Smart materials have been one of the fastest growing materials needed for medical device manufacturing. Smart materials, according to the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific Technical Terms, are defined as Materials that can significantly change their mechanical properties (such as shape, stiffness, and viscosity), or their thermal, optical, or electromagnetic properties, in a predictable or controllable manner in response to their environment. It is this property of changing according to its material that makes smart materials very valuable in manufacturing today. Perhaps one of the most useful smart materials comes in the form of memory shape alloys, specifically nitinol. Memory shape alloys have many applications in medical devices used today. They are highly prized for their exceptional superelasticity, their shape memory, their good resistance to fatigue and wear, and their relatively good biocompatibility. This makes them the perfect candidate for many in-vivo medical devices . Origin The shape-memory effect was first observed in copper-zinc and copper-tin alloys by Greninger and Mooradian in 1938, but it was only in the early 1960s that Buehler and his colleagues discovered and patented nitinol, a nickel-titanium alloy created in the Naval Ordnance Laboratory (NOL). This lab was formerly located in White Oak, Maryland and was the site of considerable work that has had useful impact upon world technology. The White Oak site of NOL has now been taken over by the Food and Drug Administration but has still left its legacy in the name nitinol (nickel + titanium + NOL- the initials of the Naval Ordinance Laboratory) (Gautam, et al. 2008). Their smart metal alloy, however, is 55% nickel by weight and may thus have allergic, toxic, or carcinogenic effects. For short-term use, in-vitro and clinical data strongly support nitinol as a safe biomaterial which is at least as good as stainless steel or titanium alloys also available to designers. Medical Applications of Shape Memory Alloys Muscles are the power of the body, used to turn energy into movement and motion. Shape memory alloys can be used to in their solid-state phase to make devices from muscle wires. Applications of shape memory alloys in the medical field are numerous. Their flexibility at one temperature and one way shape memory effect when heated to their transformation temperature make these alloys key materials for various medical methods. The inability of shape memory materials to combine to other metals requires some adaptation to be developed. A common material for this is nickel-titanium. Nickel-titanium has an excellent torque transfer characteristic which is just one of the many reasons this material is used for fabricating medical equipment (Yoshida, et al. 2010). A few notable applications are catheters, medical guide wires, bone plates and stents. Bone plates comprised of shape memory alloys, assist in repairing broken bones by making use of the bodys natural temperature to contract and maintain pressure for proper healing. (Georgia Inst. Of Tech, 2007) Catheters Catheters are used in a number of procedures such as therapeutics, diagnostics, and ablative procedures. Used in the medical field for administration of fluids, drainage, and provide a method to insert surgical instruments, catheters are tubes that can be placed in a body cavity, vessel, or duct. In the case of blood vessels, the catheter must move around the bends and angles to reach the desired destination. Stiff materials would not be flexible enough for this procedure and may cause a rupture in the vessel. Due to heat restrictions and risk of damage, only specific shape memory alloys can be used for many of these delicate processes. A solution for this problem is provided by the R-phase transformation, which is a specific type of martensite transformation that occurs in certain nickel-rich Ni-Ti alloys (Langelaar, et al. 2010). Travelling through the vessels is a difficult task, so a steering mechanism is implemented into a catheter to maneuver throughout the body. Currently catheters are equipped with integrated micro-actuators that allow controlled bending, which yields enhanced maneuverability compared to conventional catheters. Actuators consist of guide wires that bend when energy runs through them such as an electric current that heat the shape memory material. The simplistic designs of the actuator allows for high strains and stresses needed for a process. There are few actuating mechanisms which produce more useful work per unit volume than nitinol (Williams, et al. 1999). Guiding wires also known as pull wires or shaping wires, are located along the tube to allow for motion in many directions. Above: This demonstrates that shape memory alloys are more effective in actuators than many of the current materials on the market. Guide wires provide flexibility, shape memory, and pseudoelasticity. When a greater stiffness is required, the thickness of the wire may be increased to meet performance standards. Shape memory alloys allow for the catheter to return to its original geometry when the tension in the wire is removed. One adaptation formed due to the lack of metallurgical joining is a stainless steel sleeve, known as a crimp sleeve, to hold the wires to the catheter (Stoeckel, 2010). The sleeve brings up the problem of increasing the diameter of the catheter. To prevent breakage in a material, more flexibility and ductility is ideal. In medical applications, nitinol has higher ductility allowing more plastic deformation without fracturing due to the temperature of the human body. At body temperature (310K), nitinol will have a high percentage of strain at low stress meaning more ductility. Stents One of the largest medical uses for shape memory alloys is in stents. A stent is a tube that is inserted into an artery to hold it open. Stents are needed when the walls of the artery are not strong enough to remain open and need support to ensure that blood is able to flow. The stent is put in place during a procedure called an angioplasty (Stent Facts, 2010). In order to get the stent into the artery, it needs to be collapsed and inserted into a catheter. Shape memory alloys allow doctors to collapse the stent to a much smaller diameter, and have it return to its original shape after leaving the catheter inside the artery. The original use of shape memory alloys in stents was in the form of a simple coil. The coil was tightly wound in the catheter and then expanded once it was inserted into the artery and warmed. The expanded size of the coil is chosen to be slightly larger than the inner diameter of the target vessel, which means the coil will not be able to fully expand inside th e artery. The shape memory alloy, in its warmed state, will continue to attempt to expand, which will put a continuous outward pressure on the walls of the artery. This will ensure that the artery remains open. In more recent times, simple coil stents are used more for non-vascular applications such as preventing bladder obstruction. The simple coil stents that are still in use today are used in vascular cases where easy retrieval is required. The shape memory alloy allows the stent to hold its form in the body, but still be easy to deform back to a straight wire for removal (Sutou, et al. 2006). More modern shape memory alloy stents are made in forms other than a coil. The shape memory alloy can be formed into a braided or knitted coil. The downside of this is that the points where the wires cross form thicker walls, which are undesirable in a stent. Although the braided and knitted shape memory alloy stents were a step up in functionality from the simple coils, the thicker walls made them undesirable for many cases. The next level of shape memory alloy stents occurred once scientists determined how to make the alloys in flat sheets rather than just wire. Laser cutting a pattern into a flat sheet of the alloy, then rolling and welding it at various points creates a stent with no overlapping wires at the walls. Sheet style stents are thin, but also structurally supportive when heated to body temperature. This gives them more flexibility than the simple coil models and is a better use of the shape memory alloys characteristics (Sutou, et al. 2006). An older style coil stent in both its compressed and expanded forms Examples of sheet style stents: Top- Jostent SelfX (made by Jomed), Bottom- Dynalink (made by Guidant) Examples of braided style stents: Left- ZA Stent (made by Cook), Right- Symphony Stent (made by Boston Scientific) General Hazards General hazards of inhaling Nitinol include irritation, coughing, and shortness of breath. If ingested gastrointestinal disorders are possible. Skin contact and eye contact include irritation with possible redness and pain. None of these side effects are chronic. (SMDS 2008) Complications of Nickel-Titanium in Medical Applications Of the wide range of alloys that contain the properties of shape memory alloys, nickel-titanium and copper-based alloys hold the most value commercially. Nickel-titanium, also known as nitinol, is an equi-atomic mixture of the two metals. Concerns have risen over this alloy for the fear of nickel being released into the body (Williams, et al. 1999). It is important in medical equipment for the materials to be biocompatible, or the ability of the material to perform with a necessary response. In most medical procedures no response is typically desired. To determine if nitinol meets these criteria, the properties of titanium, nickel, and the combination of the two can be looked at. Titanium is a metal with a high resistance to corrosion. It is not particularly reactive and therefore is effective for medical uses where the device needs to be in the human body for an extended period of time (Lagoudas, 2010). It contains no characteristics of toxicity. Titanium is also a very strong material, however it is rarer and more difficult to manufacture than other materials. This makes titanium expensive compared to other alternatives. Nickel is a metal which is extremely reactive. Nickel is toxic to the human body and may cause massive inflammation and interaction with proteins. These properties raise questions on whether nitinol alloy is safe for medical uses. The benefits of using nickel in medical devices is that nickel increases flexibility and lowers the expense when alloyed with more expensive materials such as titanium (Langelaar, et. al. 2010 ). The properties when nickel and titanium are alloyed together usually take on those of titanium. During the manufacturing process an outer layer of titanium oxide forms. Although some nickel will still exist on the exterior, the toxicity is greatly reduced. When choosing a material for medical instruments, a risk/benefit analysis controls which alloy will be used. Nitinol is chosen because it holds great benefits and is very safe to use. Extensive testing of this material has been done and is still occurring to limit complications (Yoshida, et al. 2010). Safety During Medical Application When considering the use of shape memory alloys (such as nitinol), in medical applications, it becomes necessary to evaluate the safety of the materials for use in the human body. Biocompatibility and corrosion are two factors that come into play when considering placement into humans. Properly treated nitinol implants are corrosion resistant and compatible in humans. These implants form a surface oxide layer that protects the base material from most corrosion. There are some concerns of the nickel content dissolving from the Nitinol and causing adverse affects. However, other alloys containing high levels of nickel, such as MP35N or 300 series stainless steel, have been used in orthodontics, orthopedics, and cardiovascular applications, all the while displaying good biocompatibility. (Stoeckel, et al. 2003) Studies have shown that in vitro dissolution of nitinol dental archwires in saliva released an average of 13.05 mg/day nickel. This number is significantly lower than the average dietary intake of 200-300 mg/day. There was no increase in the nickel blood level throughout the study. A comparative in vitro cell culture study was performed to measure nickel release from nitinol and 316L stainless steel in fibroblast and osteoblast cell culture media. The nickel content was higher in the nitinol group for the first day, but rapidly decreased over time to achieve similar levels as the stainless steel. The nickel content never reached toxic levels in the nitinol and did not interfere with the cell growth. It was found that samples prepared by mechanical polishing released higher amounts of Ni-ions than those prepared by electropolishing. In order to evaluate the effect of polishing on nickel release, mechanically polished and electropolished samples of nitinol, MP35N, and 316L stainless st eel were immersed in solution for a period of over 1000 hours. Samples prepared by electropolishing released smaller amounts of Ni-ions than those with mechanical polishing. The electropolishing process removes excess nickel from the surface and forms an enriched layer of titanium. (Stoechel, et al. 2003) A study on blood compatibility was conducted on nitinol and stainless steel stents using an ex vivo, AV-shunt porcine model. It was concluded that nitinol is significantly less thrombogenic than stainless steel, meaning that when used in the human body it has a much lower chance of causing blood clots. It is thought that the titanium-oxide rich surface layer on the nitinol prevents denaturation of fibrinogen and minimizes platelet-rich thrombus formation within the stent after implantation. (Thierry, et al. 2000) Comparison of Shape Memory Alloy Nickel-Titanium to Stainless Steel The ability of shape memory alloys to return to their original position after large strains are induced is similar to that of rubber. However, unlike rubber, shape memory alloys are strong and noncorrosive much like stainless steel. Both nickel-titanium and stainless steel have long fatigue life. Many stainless steels contain nickel to maintain an austenitic structure. Higher nickel content guarantees superior resistance to corrosive cracking. Stainless steel has a relatively lower cost compared to nitinol mainly due to larger production numbers. Only about two hundred tons were produced in 1998 compared to a few hundred thousand tons of stainless steel (Lagoudas, 2010). Alloying a metal raises the production expenditure but changes the tensile and shear strength of the initial metals. The properties of shape memory alloys are better than those of stainless steel and therefore are the chosen material for certain applications. Above: Shape memory alloys have two phases, each with a different crystal structure and  properties. One is the high temperature phase, called austenite, and the other is the low temperature phase, martensite. Each martensitic crystal formed can have a different orientation direction, called a variant. The assembly of martensitic variants can exist in two forms. Twinned martensite, which is formed by a combination of self-accommodated martensitic variants and detwinned or reoriented martensite in which a specific variant is dominant (Lagoudas, 2010). Costs of Shape Memory Alloys such as Nickel-Titanium Alloys such as nitinol have poor formability in the manufacturing process which increases the production costs of such materials. The complex behavior of the material makes the development of shape memory alloys adaptive structures a challenging task. In this case, it is generally accepted that systematic, model-based design approaches and design optimization techniques can be of great assistance (Langelaar et al. 2010). However, as more applications for these materials are needed, the price will decrease. Currently, shape memory alloys are commercially available from a limited number of producers. When more production of these alloys begins, production costs will reduce. World production is small in contrast to other metal commodities. Competition drives prices lower in a market. Newer technology in manufacturing will also make the production more effective. Prices for shape memory alloys were over one dollar per gram of material in the 1990s. Today, the costs are roughly ninety percent lower. Whatever the cost may be, shape memory alloys such as nickel-titanium are one of the only materials capable of such miniscule instrumentation with the desired properties. Shape memory alloys are effective for their cost due to reliability and multiple functions (Stoeckel, 2010). Many applications of shape memory alloys only require a small amount of material. With prices around that of similar steels, shape memory alloys are gaining more attention in a variety of applications. Above: The best material lies towards the upper left corner as it corresponds to low material cost  for the same output work (Lagoudas, 2010). It indicates that CuZnAl is the best, while Ni-Ti is the least. However, it may be more advantageous to use Ni-Ti because of reduced voltage requirements due to much higher resistivity, which results in cheaper equipment in cyclic applications. Copper based alloys are less stable and more brittle than Ni-Ti. Although less expensive, copper based alloys have found little approval for applications. Future Trends Current studies at the University of OULU have been conducted in order to demonstrate that bone modeling can be controlled by using a functional implant such as a NiTi nail which can be used to bend a normal shaft of the long bone. The method could also be applied inversely, such as straightening a deformed bone. Fractures and especially frequent fractures lead to angular deformity and bowing of long bones. Operative treatment has usually consisted of cortical osteotomies with cast, internal fixation, or external fixation (Kujala, 2003). However, these are relatively large operations with much postoperative pain and a risk for complications. Implantation of a bending rod would be a much smaller operation for the patient with reduced postoperative recovery. It might even be possible to insert the nails using minimally invasive techniques which would require a minute incision. Thus, the functional nail presented might provide an easier, quicker, cheaper, and less painful way to correct such bone deformities in the future. In addition, Prototype piping in nuclear reactors has been wound with pre-stretched Ni-Ti wire, which leaves very high compressive stresses in the pipe. Tennis racket strings have been tested in China and the USA with both countries claiming performance superior to existing string materials (Deurig, 1995). Furthermore, a variety of damping applications are being examined including such motivated projects as railroad wheel tires and damping mechanisms for suspension bridges. Moreover, the maximum Ms temperature achieved in Ni-Ti binary alloys is 100 degrees Celsius and for several years scientists have searched extensively for ways to increase this. Ms temperature or Martensite start temperature is the temperature at which the transformation from austenite to martensite begins on cooling. Until just two years ago the only alloys showing hope were extremely expensive alloys such as Ti- Pd-Ni and Ti-Pt-Ni. Recently, however two new alloys are showing a great deal of promise, Ni-Ti-Hf and Ni-Ti-Zr31. These alloys prove that transformation temperatures of over 300 degrees C are possible (Deurig, 1995). However, it is too early to know what the cost of the alloys will be and if other properties will be as good as the original alloys. Luckily, these first indications seem positive. One advantage if such an Ms temperature is possible would include the use of nitinol in circuit breakers and in automotive applications. Conclusion Shape memory alloys are quickly becoming a common material used in medical applications today. The adverse uses of alloys, such as nitinol, allow for improved stents, catheters, bone plates, medical procedures, and more. These advanced materials are helping to shape medical technology for the future. Through their durability and unusual prowess for changing shape they have become the future of medical material.

Physical and Behavioral Responses to Starvation and Famine in Warsaw Gh

Physical and Behavioral Responses to Starvation and Famine in Two Populations Introduction Famine is an event in which food and resources are inaccessible and the majority of a population is endangered (Shipton, 1990). When applied to starvation this definition is accurate with one additional idea: starvation is the result of inaccessibility to resources. Many factors contribute to the progression of famine and the resulting starvation. One of the key factors to consider is the delineation between naturally occurring and man-made starvation and famine. Naturally occurring famine is the result of agricultural or environmental causes such as lack of rainfall or poor soil conditions. Man-made famine is the deliberate denial of food to people â€Å"with the aim of starving them into submission† (De Waal 1991:77). Man-made famine and the resulting starvation will be the basis for this paper. The purpose of this paper is to examine and compare the physical and behavioral responses to starvation and famine in residents of the Warsaw Ghetto during Nazi occupation and the citizens of famine-prone areas of the West African Sahel region. The location of the two regions discussed can be found on the maps (Figure 1 and Figure 2) at the end of this paper. The connections and contrasts of the two populations will be demonstrated through review and presentation of models from literature, a brief background on the populations to be discussed, examples of the populations as they fit the models and a brief discussion of limitations and opportunity for further study. Literature Review: Physical and Behavioral Response Models Physical Response The comparison between the Warsaw Ghetto and the West African Sahel region can best be exa... ...ntainer Institute, United States Army. Tushnet L. 1966. The uses of adversity. South Brunswick, New Jersey: Thomas Yoseloff. Page 18 17 Watts M. 1991. Entitlements or empowerment? famine and starvation in Africa. Review of African Political Economy, 51:9-26. Whitney, E. and Rady Rolfes S. 2005. Understanding nutrition, 10 th ed. Belmont, California: Thomson Wadsworth. WHO. Health conditions aggravate southern Africa famine. (August 4, 2002); http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/who63/en/. Page 19 18 Figure 1. Map of Warsaw, Poland and location of the Warsaw Ghetto. Britannica Student Encyclopedia: Warsaw." 2008. (March 2, 2008); http://www.student.britannica.com/eb/art-55185/Warsaw-Poland. Page 20 19 Figure 2. Map of Sudan, Ethiopia and the West African Sahel Region. Adapted from: http://z.about.com/d/worldnews/1/7/U/1/-/-/sudan_map.jpg.

Pre-operative assessment Essay

Pre-operative assessment (POA) and planning, carried out prior to treatment, ensures that the patient is fully informed about the procedure and the post operative recovery, is in optimum health and has made arrangements for admission, discharge and post operative care at home. POA and planning is an essential part of the planned care pathway which enhances the quality of care in a number of ways. * If a patient is fully informed, they will be less stressed and recover more quickly * A health check ensures good medical health before anaesthesia and surgery * Planning admission and discharge individually ensures that patient and carers know what to expect facilitating earlier post operative care at home * Cancellations due to patient ill health or DNAs are reduced * Admission on the day of surgery and early discharge are more likely By improving the planned admission process, you also enhance the patient experience and the clinical process, as well as the efficiency and productivity of the trust. POA and planning should form a natural part of the process for all planned surgery. You may wish to match the intensity of the process to the patient’s level of fitness and complexity of the procedure. The key areas covered in the National Good Practice Guidance on Pre-operative Assessment for Inpatient and Day Case Surgery include: * The objectives of pre-operative assessment  * Who should undergo pre-operative assessment * When and where pre-operative assessment should take place * Who should perform pre-operative assessment * The risks, benefits and informed consent * What should happen after pre-operative assessment * What information should be given to patients * How records should be kept * How the pre-operative assessment service should be audited * Training in pre-operative assessment * Examples of effective practice

How Hilton Hotels Builds a Relationship with Its Customers

Introduction This study aims to apply the application of value chain to a selected organisation in a service industry. This study aims to use Hilton Hotels as the focus of this paper. The main purpose of this study is to examine how Hilton Hotels builds a relationship with its customers, how it improves the added value to retain customers and what should be improved under the context of value chain to improve the better services in order to effectively deliver customer satisfaction and exceed their expectation. The paper will start from providing brief information about Hilton Hotels and then move on to analyse and discuss the key issues. About Hilton Hotel Hilton Hotels is one of the leading international premium hotels in the world. The company was founded by Conrad Hilton (Hilton Hotels, n. d. ). It offers full-services hotels and resorts to customers in many major cities around the world. Through different kinds of customer service programmes, it attempts to develop a good relationship with the targeted market. It also attempts to use the ‘Hilton Honors’ which is customer loyalty programme to retain existing customers (Hilton Hotels, n. . ). The programme does not only enable Hilton Hotels to assess quality premium services from the hotel and its affiliated firms, but also helps them to experience the feeling of privilege. How effective are the organisation’s resources in delivering its service offering? Based on the concept of value chain, it can be assumed that Hil ton Hotels attempts to add value to its offerings with the use of effective support value chain activities. Hilton Hotels uses different support value chain activities to sustain the effectiveness of primary activities to exceed customer satisfaction and expectation. These can be explained below. Primary Value Chain Activities of Hilton Hotel Inbound Logistics Hilton Hotels have several suppliers in each country in order to have sufficient supplies as part of a good quality service for customers. There are three most important areas that Hilton Hotels pays a lot of attention on because they influence people to pay more for premium services. These include food and drink, pick-up and other motor service and interior design. For example, Hilton Hotels decides to use different suppliers for fresh meat and vegetables to get the best products from suppliers with specialised offers. Once the goods are delivered, food and catering department of Hilton Hotels will store them in the right temperature until they are required. Before they are put in the stockroom, catering staff will put different colour stickers on the package. For example, fresh meat will have the maximum lifetime of five days. If it arrives on Monday, the blue sticker with the word ‘FRI’ should be put on the package to inform the chef and other kitchen staff that it should be used by Friday or otherwise, it should be binned to avoid food poisoning. The same practice is also true for car courtesy service and interior design. For example, Hilton Hotels has a contract with Mercedes Benz and other luxurious car brands to support its car courtesy services, while its interior design is done by a professional firm which will be in charge for all events held at the hotel. Operations As previously explained, this stage involved with transforming the goods into the finished offerings for end users. At Hilton Hotels, there are many goods that need to get through the operations process before being delivered to the end users. For example, all rooms will be cleaned once the customers check-out to ensure that that they are ready to serve the next guest. Outbound Logistics This is about delivering the finished goods to final users. For Hilton Hotels, this is about the presentation of both tangible and intangible products to customers. For example, the room must be spotless and equipped with facilities as promised and advertised. Also, the food should be cooked in the right manner, such as if the customer asks for a medium rare steak, they should get what they have requested. Once the food is cooked, it should be served to the customer within five minutes and the table must be cleared within ten minutes. Marketing & Sale This is about developing the marketing communication and promotion strategies that meet the needs and demands of customers. The marketing communication message used by in the poster is ‘Never feel away from home †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ When living any of our over 514 hotels worldwide!!! ’ This slogan informs the target market that wherever they go, they can always be comfortable like staying at home at the Hilton Hotels which has more than 514 outlets worldwide. Hilton Hotels does give some discounts to customers during the low season. It does not do this on a regular basis like many budget accommodations. This is because it targets customers who are less price-sensitive and they are willing to pay more for premium services. Service Through the customer loyalty programme ‘Hilton Honors’ to monitor behaviour of customers. This loyalty program enables card holders to access other premium quality services from the partnership companies of Hilton Hotels, such as car rental firms and airlines. The loyalty scheme allows the hotel to improve the products and services to meet new demand in the market more effectively. Support Value Chain Activities of Hilton Hotel Firm infrastructure Hilton Hotels is an international hotel chain with many resorts and leisure accommodations in many cities around the world. Customers should expect to get the same quality standard of leisure hotel services. This is because Hilton Hotels has an effective system to control the performance of the company. There are five main factors that Hilton Hotels uses to maintain its performance in all cities. These include cleanliness, quality, service, maintenance and atmosphere (Roubi & Litteljohn, 2004). All hotel rooms and common areas of the hotel should be spotless, the service should be delivered in a professional manner, cars, tools and equipments should be maintained and checked to ensure that they work effectively when required and the interior design should provide comfort. All of these elements are part of the organisational culture of Hilton Hotels. Human resource management Both frontline and management workers of Hilton Hotels are well-trained to deliver a perfect customer serving. Hilton Hotels tends to select employees with the right skills and knowledge. It is revealed that Hilton Hotels welcomes and prefers employees who have degrees from hospitality institutes in Switzerland. However, those with appropriate experiences are also welcomed. All workers of Hilton Hotels are required to attend both on-the-job and off-the-job training programmes to ensure that they are equipped with the right tools to carry out a good customer service. At the same time, to motivate all workers to work towards the assigned tasks with their best effort, Hilton Hotels provides its workers with financial and non-financial rewards. Some employees who have been working for the hotel for more than two years are eligible for organisational rewards, which are in the form of shares that are sold to workers at a discounted price (Watson et al. , 2007). Technology department Like other companies in the hospitality segment, the technology development and web-technology is used by Hilton Hotels to improve customer satisfaction in terms of fast and instant customer service. Hilton Hotel develops an official website which enables customers to book a hotel room, make a request for the airport pick up and other additional services. The website of Hilton Hotels does not only make it easy for customers to access the services of the hotel, but it also enables the hotel to promote its brand and offers worldwide at the lowest cost (Lo et al. , 2010). Procurement Hilton Hotels is very selective about its suppliers. This is because it positions itself as the international premium hotel chain. Thus, apart from good quality products and services that these suppliers have to provide, they must also follow the rules set by Hilton Hotels. Hilton Hotels requires all of its suppliers to be environmental-friendly and should not be involved in any kind of unethical issues, such as sweatshop and using underage workers (Hilton Hotels, n. d. ). How is Hilton Hotel attempting to build a relationship with the customer? Under the concept of value chain, it can be assumed that the targeted customers of Hilton Hotels are those who are quality conscious and they are willing to pay extra for the best service. Hilton Hotels uses differentiation strategy to develop a good relationship with customers and this enables it to retain customers more effectively. Differentiation & Value Chain – Customer Service Based on the analysis in the previous section, it can be assumed that Hilton Hotels develops a strong bond with targeted customers through value chain differentiation strategy. This is done by making its customer service different from others in the same segment. Hilton Hotels aims to offer the best leisure products and services in the industry. This strategy does not only enable it to charge customers premium price, but it also allows Hilton Hotels to retain and influence the repeated purchase behaviour (Vukmir, 2006). The loyalty scheme ‘Hilton Honor’ does not just makes customers feel that they are more privilege than others, but also enables them to access many premium services. Hilton Hotels must work hard to ensure that the promised offerings are delivered to customers. Differentiation & Value Chain – Technology To keep customers updated with new offers, Hilton Hotels sends electronic mails to customers who sign up for the service. The technology makes it easy for Hilton Hotels to develop a customer database and this can help them to monitor the behaviour of targeted customers more effectively. Hilton Hotels also utilises other new forms of media to keep a good relationship with customers through social networks like Facebook and YouTube. This enables customers to share experiences about their stay at Hilton Hotels. At the same time, this also allows Hilton Hotels to keep customers informed about recent events and activities. Conclusion According to the analysis in the previous sections, it can be assumed that there is little evidence about customer satisfaction towards the services of Hilton Hotels. However, based on the review of Hilton Hotels on TripAdvisor website (2009), it can be seen that it receives four out of five stars and 87 percent of customers who stay at the Hilton recommend it to others. The only problem that many customers appear to complain about is the pricing tactic of Hilton Hotels. Thus, under the current difficult economic conditions, it seems that customers will become more price-sensitive as they have less disposal income or start being cautious about their spending habits. They may look for substitute leisure accommodations which offer quality lodging services at affordable and reasonable prices. This means that even customers with a high spending power may still want to stay in a hotel room without breaking a bank. Therefore, there are two possible tactics that Hilton Hotels can consider in order to add value to its offerings. These include (1) promotional offer or competitive deals; and (2) complimentary or free gifts. The first strategy does not only add value to the offerings and exceed customer expectation, but it is also attractive to those who look for value for money. By contrast, the second strategy will satisfy customers who pay a full price on services. Complimentary offers would be perceived by them as a thank you gift from Hilton Hotels. This tactic will also make high spending-power customers feel privileged. Thus, it can be concluded that both strategies should effectively add value to the offerings of Hilton Hotels and satisfy customers with different spending powers.