253 research outputs found
MARKETING FOR SMALL ENTREPRISES â€" CASE STUDY POSITIONING OF “PLAFAR†DI LTD
Bacau health and wellness market has grown to embrace an array of products, including dietary supplements. As a typical “Plafar†store, Plafar DI offers a wide range of natural products, from teas, extracts and creams, to nutritional supplements, cosmetics and biological foods, most of them produced by local companies, as well as imported. Half of Romanian small and medium-sized firms are seriously and severely affected by the economic and financial crisis. Now, like thousand others small companies “Plafar DIâ€, from Bacau, should use an intelligent marketing positioning in order to survive the crisis.brand positioning, SME, case study
STRATEGICALLY REPOSITIONING RUSSIA
Positioning is a very important marketing concept. Its importance was strongly emphasized and implemented in the case of companies, but is somehow neglected when it comes to states. A country acquires a position in the mind of a person very much like any other product does, which is very important especially when that person exerts an executive role. Nowadays Russia has a poor image or no image at all, both internationally and in Romania. In order to regain an important position in the Balkans region, Russia must set aside any political agenda and reposition itself as a business partner on equal terms. The first goal of this article is to clarify Russia's position in the minds of future Romanian executives. The second goal is to outline a recommended course of actions for Russia's repositioning.marketing, positioning, strategy, Russia, marketing research
DOES POSITIONING HAVE A PLACE IN THE MINDS OF OUR STUDENTS?
Positioning is one of the most powerful marketing concepts. At the beginning, the meaning of positioning was rather limited, focusing on the concept of reputation. Then it became ”the place a brand occupies in the mind of its target audience”. Under this meaning , many companies have implemented the concept of positioning as a part of their everyday marketing activities. Nowadays, positioning is being used as a tool for explaining how consumers relate to foreign countries. The concept of positioning is simply to important to be ignored, but does it have a place in our students minds? This paper aims to determine whether we have an evolution or an involution in this matter.marketing, positioning, marketing research
Extremely fast focal-plane wavefront sensing for extreme adaptive optics
We present a promising approach to the extremely fast sensing and correction
of small wavefront errors in adaptive optics systems. As our algorithm's
computational complexity is roughly proportional to the number of actuators, it
is particularly suitable to systems with 10,000 to 100,000 actuators. Our
approach is based on sequential phase diversity and simple relations between
the point-spread function and the wavefront error in the case of small
aberrations. The particular choice of phase diversity, introduced by the
deformable mirror itself, minimizes the wavefront error as well as the
computational complexity. The method is well suited for high-contrast
astronomical imaging of point sources such as the direct detection and
characterization of exoplanets around stars, and it works even in the presence
of a coronagraph that suppresses the diffraction pattern. The accompanying
paper in these proceedings by Korkiakoski et al. describes the performance of
the algorithm using numerical simulations and laboratory tests.Comment: SPIE Paper 8447-7
Optimisation under uncertainty applied to a bridge collision problem
We consider the problem of modelling the load on a bridge pillar when hit by a vehicle. This load depends on a number of uncertain variables, such as the mass of the vehicle and its speed on impact. The objective of our study is to analyse their effect on the load. More specifically, we are interested in finding the minimum distance of the pillar to the side of the road passing under the bridge such that a given constraint on the load is satisfied in 99% of impact cases, i.e., such that the probability of satisfying the constraint is 0.99. In addition, we look for solutions to the following optimisation problem: find the distance that minimises a given cost function while still satisfying a given constraint on the load. This optimisation problem under uncertain constraints is not a well-posed problem, so we turn it into a decision problem under uncertainty. For both problems, we consider two typical cases. In the first, so-called precise-probability case, all uncertain variables involved are modelled using probability distributions, and in the second, so-called imprecise-probability case, the uncertainty for at least some of the variables (in casu the mass) is modelled by an interval of possible values, which is a special imprecise-probabilistic model. In the first case, we compute the joint distribution using simple Monte Carlo simulation, and in the second case, we combine Monte Carlo simulation with newly developed techniques in the field of imprecise probabilities. For the optimisation problem with uncertain constraints, this leads to two distinct approaches with different optimality criteria, namely maximality and maximinity, which we discuss and compare
Automatic Recognition of Object Use Based on Wireless Motion Sensors
In this paper, we present a method for automatic, online detection of a user’s interaction with objects. This represents an essential building block for improving the performance of distributed activity recognition systems. Our\ud
method is based on correlating features extracted from motion sensors worn by the user and attached to objects. We present a complete implementation of the idea, using miniaturized wireless sensor nodes equipped with motion sensors. We achieve a recognition accuracy of 97% for a target response time of 2 seconds. The implementation is lightweight, with low communication bandwidth and processing needs. We illustrate the potential of the concept by means of an interactive multi-user game
Intuitive visualization of surface properties of biomolecules
In living cells, proteins are in continuous motion and interaction with the
surrounding medium and/or other proteins and ligands. These interactions are
mediated by protein features such as Electrostatic Potential (EP) and hydropathy
expressed as Molecular Lipophilic Potential (MLP). The availability of protein
structures enables the study of their surfaces and surface characteristics, based
on atomic contribution. Traditionally, these properties are calculated by phisicochemical
programs and visualized as range of colours that vary according to the
tool used and imposes the necessity of a legend to decrypt it. The use of colour
to encode both characteristics makes the simultaneous visualization almost
impossible. This is why most of the times EP and MLP are presented in two
different images. In this thesis, we describe a novel and intuitive code for the
simultaneous visualization of these properties.
For our purpose we use Blender, an open-source, free, cross-platform 3D
application used for modelling, animation, gaming and rendering. On the basis of
Blender, we developed BioBlender, a package dedicated to biological work:
elaboration of proteins motion with the simultaneous visualization of their
chemical and physical features.
Blender's Game Engine, equipped with specific physico-chemical rules is
used to elaborate the motion of proteins, interpolating between different
conformations (NMR collections or different X-rays of the same protein). We
obtain a physically plausible sequence of intermediate conformations which are
the basis for the subsequent visual elaboration.
A new visual code is introduced for MLP visualization: a range of optical
features that goes from dull-rough surfaces for the most hydrophilic areas to
shiny-smooth surfaces for the most lipophilic ones. This kind of representation
permits a photorealistic rendering of the smooth spatial distribution of the values
of MLP on the surface of the protein.
EP is represented as animated line particles that flow along field lines,
from positive to negative, proportional to the total charge of the protein.
Our system permits EP and MLP simultaneous visualization of molecules
and, in the case of moving proteins, the continuous perception of these features,
calculated for each intermediate conformation. Moreover, this representation
contributes to gain insight into the molecules function by drawing viewer's
attention to the most active regions of the protein
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