Rob Docters, Mike Reopel, Jeanne‐Mey Sun and Steve Tanny
While the US economy seems to be in an upswing, there is still plenty of downside for some companies. But a downturn need not be seen as a giant sucking sound, eliminating all of…
Abstract
While the US economy seems to be in an upswing, there is still plenty of downside for some companies. But a downturn need not be seen as a giant sucking sound, eliminating all of a company’s pricing power. Through astute use of strategies such as the ones discussed in this article, many companies can continue to raise prices. The authors discuss such pricing strategies as working around budgets, using tools other than list price to cut price, bundling and tiering goods and services, and locking in your best customers.
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Rob Docters, Mike Reopel, Jeanne‐Mey Sun and Steve Tanny
Much attention has been paid to the pricing of goods, but services now constitute almost half of the US economy and they have their own pricing requirements. Services differ from…
Abstract
Much attention has been paid to the pricing of goods, but services now constitute almost half of the US economy and they have their own pricing requirements. Services differ from goods in that the choice of pricing structure is more fluid, as for example in determining the unit of charging. In addition, services tend to be more variable in quality because they are impacted by unique customer needs and environment. Thus, a framework for taking into account quality differences (risks) is integral to the price structure.
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The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s Human Resource Development conference is widely recognized as one of the UK’s major HR events of the year. With delegates…
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The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s Human Resource Development conference is widely recognized as one of the UK’s major HR events of the year. With delegates from major blue chips such as Panasonic, Axa and British Airways, this conference invariably attracts anyone who is anyone in the world of human resource management, training, organizational development and learning.
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There has been little thought given in science to the impact of direct brain‐machine interfacing upon the future development of human consciousness. Even less thought has been…
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There has been little thought given in science to the impact of direct brain‐machine interfacing upon the future development of human consciousness. Even less thought has been given to the possibilities for both optimizing and thwarting development in the cyborg child. A neurocognitive model of the evolution of cyborg consciousness is summarized, and from this model grounded speculations are offered pertaining to the future development of the higher cognitive functions in the cyborg child. It will be shown that cybernetic implants are “multistable”; that is, the artificial intelligence (AI) component of the cyborg brain‐machine linkage may function to condition development along ideological lines (the brain conditioned by the “ideological chip”), or may operate to open up neurocognitive development to new and heretofore unrealized limits (the brain’s development optimized by the “guru programme”). Development of the cyborg child may be conditioned in the interests of ideological concerns, or may lead to a consciousness that easily transcends all forms of ideology. Application of the guru programme may foster the emergence of new levels of cognitive complexity and information processing (à la Piagetian and neo‐Piagetian theory) that in turn allows new strategies of adaptation previously beyond human comprehension. The ethical and regulatory problems raised by cyborg technologies are addressed.