Costco case Analysis Essay Essay Example

Costco case Analysis Essay Paper 1. What is Costco’s concern theoretical account? Is the company’s concern theoretical account appealing? Why or why non? Costco’s concern theoretical account is focused on bring forthing high gross revenues volumes and rapid stock list turnover by offering members low monetary values on a limited choice of national name trade names and choice private-label merchandises in a broad scope assortment. Costco is focused in low-priced scheme is concentrated on a narrow bargain section and out viing challengers by holding lower costs. hence being able serve a niche consumers at a lower monetary value. ( Gamble. John and Thompson. Arthur ( 2009 ) . Costco’s concern theoretical account is appealing because they are able to continually sell to a niche market. This niche market has one-year income which ranges from $ 75. 000 to $ 100. 000 or more a twelvemonth. By offering the best merchandises possible at lower monetary value. they are able to hold these members return. Soon there are 47. 679. 000 card holders which include Executive members. Business member. Primary cardholders and Add-on cardhold ers. Whereas Costco has offered the most popular merchandises in order to hold a rapid turn-over. Costco has proven that there concern scheme has worked by continually bring forthing higher net sale. We will write a custom essay sample on Costco case Analysis Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Costco case Analysis Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Costco case Analysis Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer 2. What are the main elements of Costco’s scheme? How good is the scheme? Scheme is the organization’s pre selected that means to accomplish its ends or aims. while maintaining in position current and future external conditions. Costco’s strategy’s elements are low monetary values. limited merchandise lines and choice and hoarded wealth Hunt shopping environment. Costco’s is following cost leading scheme which is good because on this base they can vie with their rivals. By limited merchandise lines and limited choice they are offering limited 4000 points which are less as compared to its rivals. Costco’s is adopted market development scheme by capturing new markets for bing merchandises. Besides it provides such merchandise at low monetary values to its members which they believe will non be available in following visit. This works as an inducement and members try to take maximal advantage and hence Costco’s gross revenues volume additions. At Costco’s warehouse merchandises are non offered in every size. Th e scheme they followed is that by offering every size their efficiency will diminish therefore it is said intelligent loss of gross revenues. 3. Make you believe Jim Sinegal has been an effectual Chief executive officer? What grades would you give him in taking the procedure of crafting and put to deathing Costco’s scheme? What support can you offer for these classs? Refer to calculate 2. 1 in Chapter in developing your replies. Jim Sinegal is an effectual Chief executive officer after gone through the instance survey. There are assorted grounds which show that Mr. Jim Sinegal was responsible to take the way of scheme efficaciously. First. Jim Sinegal had made a transparent and good defined planned way for the Costco to follow. He was the lone individual in the company for the readying of concern theoretical account and appreciated over the growing of the scheme of the company. He had cognize how accomplishments and created an environment to offer hoarded wealth Hunt in the shops and maintain low monetary values and helps in advancing big volume of shop traffic that helped in edifice speedy turnover of stock list. He was responsible for driving the ability of the company to accomplish annual gross revenues about to $ 130 million per shop. Harmonizing to the instance survey Sinegal had performed first-class occupation in the executing of the scheme procedure at Costco. He performed three maps in the company as manufacturer. knowing critic and manager. He went to shops for probe for look intoing out the public presentation of shop directors and asked assorted inquiries from them. about the public presentation of shops and told them to make more work on their weak countries. In this instance. when Sinegal found replies to his inquiries less than expected than he told shop directors to make more research and come back with sufficient information. 4. What nucleus values or concern rule has Jim Sinegal stressed at Costco? The chief concern rule activity of Costco is to supply high value to users by offering planetary and local ticket merchandises at low monetary values. besides it integrates its employees in a really nicely manner. Jim Sinegal wanted to state that these two principal activities reflected in working environment of Costco which makes them profitable throughout the universe as compared to other conventional jobbers and merchants. 5. ( in the event you have covered Chapter 3 ) What is competition like in the North America sweeping nine industry? Which of the five competitory forces is strongest and why? Use the information in Figures 3. 4. 3. 5. 3. 6. 3. 7. and 3. 8 ( and the related treatments in Chapter 3 ) to make a complete five-forces analysis of competition in the North American wholesale nine industry. The sweeping nine industry has evolved into a common oligopoly merely as other major industries have. The â€Å"big three† of this industry are Costco. Sam’s Club. and BJ’s. A five forces analysis will be examined in respects to the sweeping nine industry. Force one. barriers to entry ; the three companies are at an advantage because of the trouble of new houses come ining the industry. They accomplish economic systems of graduated table and range due to the size and volume of their gross revenues by purchasing and selling more goods on a larger graduated table with lower costs. It would take a considerable sum of clip for a new entrant to accomplish the benefits of economic systems of graduated table. The capital demands are big due to the building of edif ices and acquisition of land and licences. Merely companies with an established distribution web would hold a just opportunity of come ining the industry. Force two. the menace of replacements. is non a factor because the service they offer is non offered by other outside rivals. Force three. the dickering power of purchasers. is the strongest force working in the favour of the industry. This is so because purchasers can non negociate the monetary value. The chief ground clients come to sweeping nines is they are attracted by the already low monetary values and value of purchasing in majority. Force four. the dickering power of providers could come into drama if a more favourable chance nowadayss itself in the general retail industry. Sweeping nine offer merely a per centum of the merchandises that a general retail merchant does. A cardinal scheme of Costco is aimed forthrightly at selling high-grade ware at monetary values systematically below what other jobbers or retail merchants charge. Force fifth. competition among bing participants. is non a major factor. Costco. the runaway leader soon. offers the â€Å"treasure hunt† trades where extreme deals are offered for short. unheralded periods of clip. This creates bombilation amongst clients by luring them to return on a consistent footing to research what â€Å"treasures† are available. BJ’s sets itself apart by being the lone nine among the three to accept manufacturer’s vouchers. They besides are the lone nine to accept all four major recognition cards. MasterCard. Visa. Discover. and American Express. at all locations. They besides offer a broader mixture of points as compared to Sam’s and Costco. 6. Base on the information in instance Exhibits 1 and 4. is Costco’s fiscal public presentation higher-up to that at Sam’s Club and BJ’s wholesale? 7. Does the information in instance Exhibit Exhibit 2 indicate that Costco’s enlargement outside the U. S. is financially successful? Why or why non? 8. How good is Costco executing from a strategic position? Does Costco bask a competitory advantage over Sam’s Club? Over BJ’S Whole sale? If so. what is the nature of its competitory advantage? Does Costco hold a winning scheme? Why or why non? Costco has been playing really successful in the wholesaling industry as it can be seen from its concern schemes. First of all. for the intent of back uping the Costco’s concern theoretical account of bring forthing high gross revenues volumes and rapid stock list turnover. Costco members are given a limited choice of nationally branded and choice private label merchandises in a broad scope of ware classs. Then Costco unite its rapid stock list turnover with the operating efficiencies to run the concern productively at important lower gross borders than traditional wholesales. mass merchants. supermarkets and supercenters. As a consequence. Costco takes advantages of its high gross revenues volume and rapid stock list turnover to obtain the benefits of early payment price reductions from ware sellers due to the high gross revenues volume and rapid stock list turnover allow Costco to bring forth adequate hard currency in history. Second. the pricing scheme of Costco is cardinal factors to back up the low monetary value concern scheme which is to crest the borders on branded name ware at 14 per centum so that its members can purchase with low monetary value. Third. Costco focal point to offer limited choice that is about 4000 points with fast merchandising theoretical accounts. sizes and colourss. and aim the little concerns for its commercial and professional theoretical accounts selling. Furthermore. advertisement and gross revenues runs are non being used often by Costco for the selling scheme and the company merely launches runs for new warehouse gaps. In add-on. Costco besides use direct mail to prospective new members on occasion and direct mail plans advancing selected ware to members on a regular basis. Opening more new warehouses. constructing an of all time larger and ferociously loyal rank base and using good executed trading techniques to promote members to shopping more often with large trip are the chief cardinal growing scheme of Costco. Furthermore. online shopping is another option that Costco offered to members so as to do their shopping more convenient instead than exchange to rivals. In add-on. Majority of ware is owned by Costco. and the company besides builds direct purchasing relationships with many manufacturers of national trade name name ware and makers and this consequence in the available of flexible options of providers for Costco in anytime to hold sufficient of stocked ware. Besides. Costco’s rank base and member demographics contains powerful purchasing ability as it chiefly aim the single clients with minimal income of $ 75000 and 30 per centum of the targeted clients earn more than $ 100000 yearly. For the intent of put to deathing Costco’s scheme successfully. the company offer semiannual fillips and full spectrum of benefits for its employees. More of import. the advancing chances will see the insiders foremost based on the company policy. Other factors that determine the success of Costco besides include the concern doctrine. values and codification of moralss such as obey the jurisprudence and governmental ordinances. take of members. take of employees. regard providers and concern spouses. and honor the stockholders. Costco is crushing both Sam’s Club and BJ’s sweeping in net gross revenues and market portion. However. Sam’s Club has launched an aggressive run to increase its market portion. 9. Are Costco’s monetary values excessively low? Why or why non? Yes. because the gross net income border falls into the normal scope for this industry. However. it should be swerving upward and as you can see it is really diminishing somewhat. If this tendency continues. stairss will necessitate to be taken to rectify the job. Another chance index. return on shareholder equity indicates that the company has a job. Average returns are about 12 % . which Costco was approaching in 2004 and 2005. In2006. the company experienced a crisp diminution which is doing for concern. Investigate this diminution. It could be due to low net incomes after revenue enhancements. If the pricing is excessively low. this can go on. Currently. Sinegal. true. attempts to sell merchandises at the lowest monetary value possible for length of service. However. if the investors in the house are non doing appropriate returns for the hazard. they will put elsewhere. The current ratio figure is in the mean scope but on the diminution. The debt to equity shows a strong balance sheet and low degrees of debt. It is swerving downward. The stock list turnover rate is somewhat higher than norm. bespeaking that Costco is surpassing rivals in traveling merchandise. Besides cause for concern is the fact that the on the job capital is shriveling. This might bespeak the inability to spread out without a loan. 10. What do you believe of Costco’s compensation patterns? Does it surprise you that Costco employees seemingly are instead well-compensated? Costco’s compensation and benefits are higher than those at walmart. Salaried employees in Costco warehouses could gain anyplace from $ 30000 to $ 125000 anually. Costco employees enjoyed a benefit bundle that included the undermentioned points. Health and dental attention programs. A dependent attention reimbursement program.Confidential professional guidance services.Company paid long term disablement coverage equal to 60 % . of gaining for workers that were out for more than 180 yearss on a non-worker’s compensationleave of absence. Generous life insurance and inadvertent decease and taking apart coverage. An employee stock purchase program. 11. What recommendations would you do to Costco top direction sing how best to prolong the company’s growing and better its fiscal public presentation? Costco is a company that have some unfavorable judgment. such as people has to wait for a long clip to pay their merchandises. However costco Department of Energy non hold large jobs that urgently need to be fixed. So it should stand in the same class utilizing the present scheme. I think Costco has the capacity to go on puting in new shops and turn gross revenues. It can besides spread out gross revenues by presenting new merchandises line. like furniture. The company has the fiscal resources to maintain turning its concern and open more warehouse locations

Roman Emperor Theodosius the Great

Roman Emperor Theodosius the Great Under Emperor Valentinian I (r. 364-375), army officer Flavius Theodosius was stripped of command and exiled to Cauca, Spain, where he had been born in about 346. Despite such inauspicious beginnings, Theodosius, with his 8-year-old son installed  in name  as ruler of the Western Empire, became the last emperor to rule the  entire Roman Empire  in fact. Probably two to three years after Valentinian exiled Theodosius (and executed his father), Rome needed Theodosius again. The empire was a formidable power at this time. Thus it was against all odds that on August 9, 378 the Visigoths trounced the  Eastern Empire  and killed its emperor (Valens [r. A.D. 364-378]) at the momentous  Battle of Adrianople. Although it took a while for the after-effects to play out, this defeat is a major event to look at when tracing the  fall of the Roman Empire. With the eastern emperor dead, his nephew, the western Emperor Gratian, needed to reclaim command of  Constantinople  and the rest of the eastern part of the empire. To do so he sent in his best general- the formerly-exiled Flavius Theodosius. Dates: A.D. c. 346-395; (r. A.D. 379-395)Place of Birth: Cauca, in Hispania [see sec. Bd on Map]Parents: Theodosius the Elder and Thermantia Wives: Aelia Flavia Flaccilla;Galla Children: Arcadius (made Augustus on 19 January 383), Honorius (made Augustus on 23 January 393), and Pulcheria;Gratian and Galla Placidia(by adoption) Serena, his niece Claim to Fame: The last ruler of the entire Roman Empire; effectively put an end to pagan practices. Theodosius Hazardous Rise to Power Theodosius own father had been a senior military officer in the Western Empire. Emperor Valentinian had honored him by appointing him magister equitum praesentalis Master of the Horse in the Presence of the Emperor (Ammianus Marcellinus 28.3.9) in 368 and then executed him in early 375 for unclear reasons. Perhaps Theodosius father was executed for trying to intercede on behalf of his son. At about the time Emperor Valentinian executed his father, Theodosius went into retirement in Spain. It was only after Valentinians death (November 17, 375) that Theodosius regained his commission. Theodosius obtained the rank of the magister militum per Illyricum Master of the Soldiers for the Prefecture of Illyricum in 376, which he kept until January 379 when Emperor Gratian appointed him co-Augustus to replace Emperor Valens. Gratian may have been coerced into making the appointment. Barbarian Recruits The Goths and their allies were ravaging not only Thrace but also Macedonia and Dacia. It was the eastern emperor, Theodosius job to suppress them while the western emperor, Gratian attended to matters in Gaul. Although Emperor Gratian provided the Eastern Empire with some troops, Emperor Theodosius needed more because of the devastation that had been caused by the Battle at Adrianople. So he recruited troops from among the barbarians. In an only partially successful attempt to stave off barbarian defection, Emperor Theodosius made a trade: he sent some of his new, questionable recruits to Egypt to be exchanged for presumed-loyal Roman soldiers. In 382 Emperor Theodosius and the Goths reached an agreement: Emperor Theodosius permitted the Visigoths to retain some autonomy while living in Thrace, and many of the Goths enlisted in the imperial army, and especially the cavalry, which had proved to be one of the Roman weaknesses at Adrianople. The Emperors Their Domains From Julian to Theodosius Sons. (Simplified) NB: Valeo is the Latin verb to be strong. It was a popular base for mens names in the Roman Empire. Valentinian was the name of 2 Roman emperors during the lifetime of Theodosius, and Valens was that of a third. Julian Jovian (West) (East) Valentinian I / Gratian Valens Gratian / Valentinian II Theodosius Honorius Theodosius / Arcadius Maximus Emperor In January of 383, Emperor Theodosius named his young son Arcadius successor. Maximus, a general who had served with Theodosius father and may have been a blood relative, may have hoped to be named, instead. That year Maximus soldiers proclaimed him emperor. With these approving troops, Maximus entered Gaul to face Emperor Gratian. The latter was betrayed by his own troops and killed in Lyons by Maximus Gothic magister equitum. Maximus was preparing to advance on Rome when Emperor Gratians brother, Valentinian II, sent a force to meet him. Maximus agreed to accept Valentinian II as ruler of part of the Western Empire, in 384, but in 387 he advanced against him. This time Valentinian II fled to the East, to Emperor Theodosius. Theodosius took Valentinian II into protection. Then he led his army to fight against Maximus in Illyricum, at Emona, Siscia, and Poetovio [see map]. Despite many Gothic troops defecting to Maximus side, Maximus was captured and executed at Aquileia on August 28 , 388. (Valentinian II, Theodosius brother-in-law through his second marriage, was killed or committed suicide in May of 392.) One of the defecting Gothic leaders was Alaric, who fought for Emperor Theodosius in 394 against Eugenius, another pretender to the throne which he lost in the civil war battle on the river Frigidus in September and then against Emperor Theodosius son, but is best known for sacking Rome. Stilicho From the time of Emperor Jovian (377), there had been a Roman treaty with the Persians, but there were skirmishes along the borders. In 387, Emperor Theodosius magister peditum praesentalis, Richomer, put an end to these. Conflict over Armenia picked up again, until another of Emperor Theodosius officials, his magister militum per Orientem, Stilicho, arranged a settlement. Stilicho was to become a major figure in Roman history of the period. In an effort to tie Stilicho to his family and presumably strengthen the claim of Emperor Theodosius son Arcadius, Emperor Theodosius married his niece and adoptive daughter to Stilicho. Emperor Theodosius appointed Stilicho regent over his younger son Honorius and possibly (as Stilicho claimed), over Arcadius, as well. Theodosius on Religion Emperor Theodosius had been tolerant of most pagan practices, but then in 391 he sanctioned the destruction of the Serapeum at Alexandria, enacted laws against pagan practices, and put an end to the Olympic games.  He is also credited with putting an end to the power of the Arian and Manichean heresies in Constantinople while establishing Catholicism as the state religion. Sources DIR - TheodosiusNotitia DignitatumMagnus Maximus (383-388 A.D.) Theodosius(www.suc.org/exhibitions/byz_coins/present/Theodosius_I.html 06/26/01) Theodosius IAmmianus, Theodosius and Sallusts JugurthaThe Roman Magistri in the Civil and Military Service of the Empire, by A. E. R. Boak.  Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, Vol. 26, (1915), pp. 73-164.

Conducting an Environmental Analysis Assignment

Conducting an Environmental Analysis - Assignment Example g all the time, it becomes increasingly difficult for the administrator to understand them and work to ensure that they do not affect the competitiveness of the organization. Moreover, Healey and Marchese (2012) note that it is unrealistic to expect hospital administrators to be aware of all these changes, specifically those changes that impact on the environment of the hospital. Therefore, as administrators continue to manage internal factors that influence their hospital facilities, Ginter et al (2013) ask whether it is realistic for the same administrators to be cognizant of their external environment at the same time. The answer to this is that hospital administration requires not only the management its internal confines, but also anticipation and management of factors and trends on the outside that impact the hospital’s operations and competitiveness. Changes in the political and economic environment, which are external to the hospital, need to be evaluated by the administrator for them to understand how they will impact the strategy and competitiveness of the hospital. The political environment is dynamic and constantly changing. For example, every hospital administrator is aware that the briefs received from state agencies, along with the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare result in substantial requirements for paperwork that must be understood, assessed, addressed, and implemented (Noh et al, 2011). However, there are also other political forces that are not directly linked to the healthcare sector that could portend formidable impact on the hospital’s environment. Elected officials and special interest groups may not view the issue at hand, such as obesity, from the same perspective, normally espousing competing and diverse interests. Moreover, the partisan agenda of the Republican and Democratic Party also have to be f actored into the assessment of the hospital’s environment, particularly because the party that holds a majority has the political

Economic Analysis for the Motion Picture Industry Term Paper

Economic Analysis for the Motion Picture Industry - Term Paper Example Thus, content is still king and that which appeals to the audience will earn more in an economy with higher levels of affluence and more leisure time. Fixed costs for a movie production house accrue from a need to maintain staff, equipment and stage as well as props in readiness for the shooting and production of a movie. A single movie cannot sustain a production house forever and this means that a successful movie production house is constantly investigating movie concepts, financing, shooting, editing and making deals for marketing and distribution. Variable costs accrue when the shooting of a new movie commences, requiring new stars, talent, equipment or on location shooting. However, after establishing a motion picture production house, the total cost curve and the marginal cost curve for motion picture production will present an L-shaped curve because acquisition of most of the equipment for making movies and stage as well as props etc. is complete at the time of production of the first movie. Products presented by the motion picture industry represent high levels of artistic innovation that revolve around the product rather than the firm that produces the movie (Vogel, 2007, Pp. 65 – 66). However, although many people think that making movies is fun and highly lucrative, nothing could be further from the truth. Product and demand uncertainty are a part of the movie making business and on the average, out of every ten movies produced, six or seven present unprofitable returns. Thus, making movies remains a truly entrepreneurial endeavour and only those motion pictures that can compete effectively for the attention of the audiences in relation to others present great returns (De Vany, 1999, Pp. 1 – 5). De Vany (1999, Pp. 1 – 5) goes further to suggests that a Levy stable process that is asymptotically Pareto-distributed with infinite variance depicts box – office revenue dynamics for motion pictures, with rare blockbuster movies dominating the me an in the far left end as depicted in the figure below (Sinha, 2005, Slide 10). Figure 1: Income Distribution Snapshot for 100 – 150 Movies showing in Theatres across the USA, from (Sinha, 2005, Slide 10) The film industry presents a myriad of interesting problems that lend themselves to economic analysis (McKenzie, 2009, Pp. 1 – 3). Deciding about a strategy for transforming the initial concept into reality followed by production, distribution and finally exhibition all present economic puzzles that are worthy of investigation. However, with global annual spending on movies by the consumers exceeding one trillion dollars, it is worth aspects related to the economic analysis of the motion picture industry (Vogel, 2007, Pp. xix – xx). This very brief report presents a discussion about aspects of economic analysis for the motion picture industry, including aspects of industry demand and cost structure for the motion picture industry. Industry Demand When thinking about demand for a motion

Technology development and the problems Research Paper

Technology development and the problems - Research Paper Example However, people have become more disconnected from reality, and interpersonal relations have deteriorated. The computer has made the social lives of human beings worse by creating a society where human dignity has not been preserved like in the past. The computer, which uses the computer software to operate, has had detrimental effects on the lives of human beings. Face-to- face communication enhances socialization, closes kinship ties and cultivates friendship thus mutual co-existence. Face to face mode of communication is also very reliable as one is able to seek clarification and further elaboration. The computer has eroded humanism with individuals becoming cold hearted and mean towards fellow human beings as they become more and more accustomed to the computer rather than fellow human beings. Face-to-face mode of communication is more reliable than the computers. In the past, before computers became the chief forms of communication, societies used to rely on credible verified sources like authorities. These authorities or institutions were widely acclaimed and had to be rigorously trained and verified, undertaking several tests. However, the computer has changed everything. Online materials are known to be posted by whoever has the capacity to do so. It is thus very difficult to ascertain or verify the credibility of the information. Some of the materials are written by anonymous writers and thus hard to contact the source for any clarification. Other works have been written by people who are geographically far away, yet their works are available almost allover the world, these authors or writes are nowhere to be seen or found, to explain their ideas. People in the past used to question the face-to-face form of communication as they viewed the source as mortal like themselves thus capable of making mistakes. This enabled works of individuals to be revised by several other people

New Generation of a Mobile Primary Frequency Standard

New Generation of a Mobile Primary Frequency Standard New generation of a mobile primary frequency standard based on cold atoms S T Mà ¼ller 1, J de Martin Jà ºnior 1, R D Pechoneri 1, P Santa Catharina1, V S Bagnato2 and D V Magalhà £es1 Abstract. We have constructed a mobile primary frequency standard using intra-cavity cold cesium atoms and the first results shown the advantages of using this kind of system compared to cesium beam standards. Based on an expanding cloud of atoms, it has no stringent size limitations and one can imagine the possibility of a clock even more compact. In order to assemble a new system even smaller, we are developing a system containing lasers, microwave source and cavity in a single box. The mobile atomic standard based on cold atoms is an important contribution to a primary standard of high relevance, and a possible strategic product with a broad range of applications. Introduction With exceptional accuracy, atomic clocks have applications in several fields of modern fundamental physics [1]. They allow not only to investigate the macroscopic scales theories like relativity or gravitation, but also to know better the microscopic world, in atomic scale, thanks to quantum mechanics. Two of the main applications are navigation and telecommunication systems, and atomic references are the heart of the most advanced navigation system, satellite constellations positioning like GPS, GLONASS, and Beidou [2]. Most of the high performance time standards require an extremely complex construction and operation, but the size of these systems makes them incompatible with some applications, which require a compromise between size and performance. These include space and industrial applications, such as telecommunication lines, mobile telephone networks or internet, calibration of instruments, dissemination of local time references with good quality, etc. The Atomic Time and frequency Standard Program under development at USP Sà £o Carlos [3] has two main atomic frequency standards being developed, an atomic fountain [4] and a system based in a cold atomic cloud in free expansion [5]. Besides those experimental standards, our facility has commercial atomic clocks and a hydrogen maser. The theoretical and experimental knowledge acquired with these standards are now employed in the development of a mobile atomic frequency standard, which should maintain the same level of stability and accuracy of the experimental setups. To ensure the mobility of the system, new diode laser sources, microwave synthesizer, vacuum and control systems are being redesigned. Experimental setup and temporal sequence The aim of this project is the construction of a cold atoms compact frequency standard that works in an innovative way, since the steps of the sequence occur in the same place, within a microwave cavity. For the physical package we use a cylindrical cavity, sculpted in a stainless steel vacuum chamber and resonant in 9.2 GHz. This operation mode allows us to design a much more compact system than a conventional cold atoms clock, where the various interactions are in different parts of the instrument. Therefore, the compactness of the clock is achieved through a sequence purely temporal. The most relevant steps can be seen in Figure 1. The temporal sequence of the compact frequency standard can be divided in four well defined steps (see figure 1), as follows: (Step 1)Trapping atoms in a magneto optical trap (MOT) In this stage is possible to capture 108 atoms using magnetic field and three counter-propagating pairs of laser beams (MOT) [6]. This is important to catch up the atoms together in the same spatial region, forming a cold cloud, and to remove a huge portion of the cloud’s kinetic energy. In this step the atomic cloud attains very low temperatures and becomes more stable. The cycling transition is used, and repumping is done using the transition. (Step 2)Sub-Doppler Cooling and the Preparation After the first reduction of the kinetic energy, the system passes from MOT configuration to optical molasses by switching off the current supply of the magnetic field. Simultaneously, the atomic cloud is cooled even more, changing the intensity and detuning of the laser beams with acousto-optical modulators, reaching levels below 10 ÃŽ ¼K. In order to prepare the atoms in their ground electronic state , the repumping light is switched off 5 ms before shutting off the cooling light. During this interval, optical pumping efficiently transfers the atoms to the required ground state. (Step 3) The clock transition interrogation Now, the cold atoms are in a single initial state and after the total shutdown of the lasers beams, the cloud starts a free expansion. During the expansion the atoms are interrogated in a Ramsey sequence [7], consisting of two coherent microwave pulses with 1ms of duration and separated by 8ms. These pulses excite the clock transition between the two hyperfine levels . (Step 4) The Detection To detect the atoms that have transitioned to the level after the two microwave pulses, the light beams originally used as a cooling laser are turned back on for 40 ms, and the fluorescence signal is collected. Once the resonance is observed, it can be used as a frequency discriminator. The transition probability difference of two successive measurement acts as an error signal used to control the local oscillator frequency. Results Figure 2 presents a typical scan of the microwave frequency across the clock resonance in our device [5]. Using the Ramsey fringe of Figure 2, we can scan around the central fringe to determine the linewidth with a theoretical fitting (Figure 3), obtaining a value of 47 Hz. The contrast is better than 80% (where the contrast is defined as a difference between resonance amplitude and background). To measure the frequency stability of the system is necessary to lock the central resonance observed on figure 3 to the microwave chain (macroscopic oscillator). The microwave chain on the other hand is phase locked to the 5 MHz output of the Hydrogen Maser. The modulation of the frequency is controlled by a computer, which also register the introduced correction to keep the interrogation signal at its maximum. The stability observed is , as presented in Figure 4, demonstrating that this compact cold atom frequency standard can reach performances better than commercial beam clocks, which typically have short time stabilities on the range of 10-11 10-12. The advantage of cold atoms in such compact system can be easily observed if compared with commercial thermal Cs beam clocks. The long term stability already surpasses the currently used commercial standards and the clock transition linewidth is on the order of 50 Hz for our system, meanwhile the same resolution can be achieved only with a thermal system that has some meters in the interrogation region (26 Hz for a 4 m long interrogation region [8]). [GMD1] Reducing the system volume We actually envisage a more compact system, mounting the apparatus in a single block. This should be done keeping all the necessary processes to produce a frequency standard signal. 4.1. The macroscopic oscillator A fundamental piece of the atomic standard, it corresponds to the signal that generates the time reference. The feedback from the atoms interrogated with its signal closes the loop for the atomic frequency reference. It should be as small as possible, but still taking into account some parameters as temperature deviations [9, 10]. To achieve reliable performance, we will use PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) control and peltier elements as actuators. 4.2. Lasers Diode The use of laser diodes is fundamental in the system. They should keep a very low effective linewidth, in order to not degrade the SNR of the clock transition. In the limit of high resolution spectroscopy, the laser noise can add a significant parcel to the overall budget of noise contributions. 4.3. General Control of the System Careful control of all the steps of the clockwork (trap, sub-doppler cooling, interrogation and detection) is mandatory. In each cycle the microwave source is corrected, and the steps consist of well synchronized events, such as laser light frequency shifts, pulsing of the microwave signal, triggered signal detection and processing of the atomic fluorescence [11]. Conclusions We have developed a compact system to be used as a mobile reference for frequency signals. We managed to cool 108 atoms at 10 ÃŽ ¼K in a microwave cavity and after the Ramsey interrogation the detection by fluorescence is applied. The core idea is the use of cold atoms as a high performance and reliable clock source. We have been working in the reduction of volume to make an embeddable prototype, in order to maintain the high quality characteristics necessary for the operation of such device. References Jespersen J and Fitz-Randolph J 1999 From sundials to atomic clocks (Mineola: Dover Publications) Ramsey N F 2002 Application of atomic clocks in: Laser physics at the limits, ed Figger H. et al (Berlin: Springer) p 3 Ahmed M, Magalhà £es D V, Bebeachibuli A, Mà ¼ller S T, Alves R F, Ortega T A, Weiner J and Bagnato V S 2008 The brazilian time and frequency atomic standards program An Acad Bras Cienc 80, 2 Magalhà £es D V 2004 Construà §Ãƒ £o de uma fountain atà ´mica para utilizaà §Ãƒ £o como padrà £o primà ¡rio de tempo Doctorade thesis Mà ¼ller S T, Magalhà £es D V, Alves R F and Bagnato V S 2011 Compact Frequency Standard based on an Intracavity Sample of Cold Cesium AtomsJ. Opt. Soc. Am. B 28 11 p 2592 Metcalf H and Van Der Straten P 2003 Laser cooling and trapping of atoms J.Opt. Soc. Am. B 20 p 887 Vanier J, Audoin C 1989 The quantum physics of atomic frequency standards v2 (Adam Hilger) Glaze D J, Hellwig H, Allan D W and S. Jarvis 1977 NBS-4 and NBS-6: The NBS primary frequency standards Metrologia 13 p 17-28 L. E. Schnurr 1967 The transient thermal characteristics of quartz resonators and their relation to temperature-frequency curve distortion 21st Annual Symposium on Frequency Control (1967) Ji Wang, Yook-Kong Yong and Tsutomu Imai 1998 High-order plate theory based finite element analysis of the frequency-temperature relations of quartz crystal oscillators Frequency Control Symposium Proceedings of the 1998 IEEE International (1998) J. Levine 1999 Introduction to time and frequency metrology Review of scientific instruments 70, 6 [GMD1]

Locating Macbeth at the Thresholds of Time, Space and Spiritualism Ess

In the preface to Folie et dà ©raison, Michel Foucault unmistakably locates madness at the limen of cultural identity: European man, since the beginning of the Middle Ages has had a relation to something he calls, indiscriminately, Madness, Dementia, Insanity. †¦ [It is] a realm, no doubt, where what is in question is the limits rather than the identity of a culture. (Foucault xi) By describing madness in this way, he demonstrates his understanding of madness as a cultural phenomenon, defined not by the analysis of a subject’s symptoms, but rather the shared assumption that a subject is not ‘right’, does not conform to the prevailing ideological norm. Written in the late twentieth century, his work is a treatise about the wider cultural effects produced by a policy of confinement of the social outsider. Three centuries earlier, William Shakespeare completed and staged what are now considered the greatest and most evil of all his tragedies, the tragedy of Macbeth. Themes of witchcraft, infanticide, suicide and death pervade the fabric of the play, which possibly contributes to the theatrical superstition that surrounds its production to this day. Nevertheless, it seems curious to me the play is seldom discussed as one that focuses on madness, when it deals with two of the most insane and depraved characters in all of Shakespeare. 1 It seems curious to me that Shakespeare’s tragedies so often revolve around common themes of â€Å"Madness, Dementia, Insanity,† and there is much scholarship as to how this discourse of madness should be interpreted1, but less with particular reference to Macbeth. Curiouser still is that Shakespeare’s Renaissance understanding of madness, as demonstrated in his portrayal of this madness is... ...ephen, et al. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 2008. Print. Somerville, Henry. Madness in Shakespearian tragedy. London: The Richards Press Ltd., 1929. Print. Styan, J. L. "The Drama: Reason in Madness." Theatre Journal 32 3 (1980): 371-85. Print. ---. Perspectives on Shakespeare in performance. Studies in Shakespeare vol. 11. New York: P. Lang, 1999. Print. Weimann, Robert. Shakespeare and the popular tradition in the theater :studies in the social dimension of dramatic form and function. Ed. Schwartz, Robert. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1978. Print. ii Wheelwright, Philip. "Philosophy of the Threshold." The Sewanee Review 61 1 (1953): 56-75. Print. Wilson Knight, G. The wheel of fire : interpretations of Shakespearian tragedy, with three new essays. University paperbacks, U. P. 12. [4th rev. and enl. ed. London: Methuen, 1965. Print. iii