SMaL Camera Technologies Essay Example

SMaL Camera Technologies Essay 1. a)   Ã‚  Ã‚   Yes, I believe that SMaL had the right resources to support its innovation.SMaL has tried to size the resources for its innovative ventures according to the complexity and profitability of the initiative. The company has been cautious but within reason because the intention is to build a long-term sustainable company.To do this, the staffing strategy was to keep the organization small but to hire top quality staff to make up a fully utilized top-flight team. However, where necessary, the company has hired more staff.For example, the â€Å"credit card camera† team comprises 35 employees. However, when it made the decision to develop a product for the Security and Surveillance industry, the company hired more staff for this new team.The capital raising strategy has worked very well. The company made the decision to stay small and start off the company by spending within the limits of the funds received from its first investor (Yokogawa Electric).   After get ting a CEO for the company, SMaL secured additional investment from Yokogawa Electric and a Venture Capital company; Stata Venture Partners.   The company has created impressive growth with limited investment.b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   SMaL has used the right decision-making and coordination processes to support innovation.The company had succeeded in bringing a disruptive technology to the market and being a commercial success at it. By doing this, it has effectively tackled two out of the three challenges that a startup faces: §Ã‚   Bring first product to market §Ã‚   Be profitable §Ã‚   Bring additional products to market (go for an encore)The company was fully aware of the challenges that a start up faces so it had obviously done it analysis of the business landscape and SWOT analysis. It has based its decision-making on strategic management practices.Also, the management team has a good long-term plan for the company. The next stage is to ramp up annual revenues past $100 million and float an IPO by going public in 2004. In order to do this it has applied its coordination skills to decide on how to get to this next stage.The company had to choose from five alternatives, which were not mutually exclusive.These options are: §Ã‚   Improve on Existing Product §Ã‚   Produce a Product for the Security and Surveillance Industry §Ã‚   Produce a Product for the Automotive Industry §Ã‚   Produce a Product for the Phone Industry §Ã‚   Create another Innovative Imaging ProductThe pros and cons of these alternatives have been reviewed using good decision making processes of reviewing cost and benefit (Cost-Benefit Analysis).c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The company has clearly defined values relating to risk, conditions that determine whether to start work on an innovation or to continue working on an innovation.These values are reflected in their go-to-market, finan cing and business model approach. This approach also helps in defining its prospective markets according to the BCG Product/Services Matrix.The company ensures that it has a healthy mix of revenue. That is why it has chosen its target markets as consumer cameras, security and surveillance and automotive industries.The credit camera product is the company’s â€Å"cash cow† (mature business).The automotive products are the â€Å"stars† (good investment opportunities). They provide the best long term bet for the company but may not yield significant revenue until 2005.The company is allocating resources to fund the security and surveillance products (the â€Å"question marks† and likely future stars). These are products/services that are untested in the market but appear to have strong growth potential). The security and surveillance market is a conservative market but it has the potential to produce another disruptive technology.

Patrice Lumumba †Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo

Patrice Lumumba – Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo Free Online Research Papers Patrice Émery Lumumba was born on July 2nd 1925, and was assassinated January 17th 1961. Lumumba was an African anti-colonial leader and the first legally elected Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo. He was elected because he helped to win its independence from Belgium in June 1960. Only ten weeks later, Lumumbas government was deposed in coup during the Congo Crisis. He was subsequently imprisoned and assassinated under controversial circumstances. In my opinion, Patrice Lumumba served as a great martyr for the Congolese people. According to dictionary.com, a martyr is a person who is put to death or endures great suffering on behalf of any belief, principle, or cause: a martyr to the cause of social justice. As shown is the movie, Lumumba fought for what he believed in. He sacrificed many things to accomplish freedom for the Congo. Lumumba was not afraid to challenge white supremacy and denounce the oppressive way Europeans treated Africans. One thing I noticed in the movie was that Lumumba was very family oriented and cared a lot not just for his family, but his followers also. As I said above, Lumumba was elected Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo in June 1960. Sixty-seven days after he came to power, Patrice Lumumba was dismissed by state president Joseph Kasa-Vubu. Lumumba was placed under informal house arrest at the prime ministers residence. UN troops were positioned around the house to â€Å"protect† him. After he was arrested, Lumumba made the decision to escape out of his residence at night in a visiting diplomats car. Mobutus troops were in hot pursuit, they followed him. At this point in the movie, a Congolese civilian stopped Lumumba’s vehicle and warned him that Mobutu’s troops were very close behind. He was told to â€Å"Get off the main road†, so they decided to cross the Sankuru River. The scene in the movie shows Lumumba looking back at his family, with terror in his eyes. From the expression on his face you can tell he won’t be seeing his wife and family ever again after that day. He was captured that day near the Sankuru River by soldiers loyal to Colonel Mobutu. Lumumba was then transported on January 17, 1961, from the military prison in Thysville near Leopoldville to a â€Å"more secure† prison in Jadotville in the Katanga Province. There were reports that Lumumba and his fellow prisoners, Maurice Mpolo and Joseph Okito, were beaten by provincial police upon their arrival in secessionist Katanga. Lumumba and his fellow prisoners were taken into the woods and shot one by one. The guards tied them to a tree and shot them. As they dragged his followers, they resisted. All but one. Lumumba walked himself to the tree, and immediately pressed his back against the tree. He was not afraid to die for what he believed in. It wasn’t enough that these three men were shot and killed; they were cut into pieces and then burned. There is no evidence of their death and no ashes. One thing I learned from this film is that Lumumba had faith that his message would live on after his death. This is very hard to believe, especially when he was treated so badly by Mobutu and his army. Research Papers on Patrice Lumumba - Prime Minister of the Republic of the CongoQuebec and CanadaWhere Wild and West MeetAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2Unreasonable Searches and SeizuresPETSTEL analysis of IndiaCapital PunishmentAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeThe Hockey Game19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraMind Travel