a. Explain the technology or innovation introduced in the cases. Cannon knew that his compact echo machine, which he carried under his arm by a single handle, would have to perform competitively in a room filled with state-of-the-art echo machines made by long-standing competitors such as Hewlett Packard -- each machine weighing more than the average NFL linesman and costing nearly a quarter of a million dollars. To view the functioning of the heart, the face of the transducer, which was usually no larger than 9 square centimeters, was placed on the patient's chest at various angles. The transducer delivered ultrasound waves into the body and these waves were reflected back to the transducer as they crossed interfaces of different acoustic impedance. More simply, the ultrasound bounced off the internal structures of the body and returned to the transducer. The transducer converted the returning sound into electronic signals that were processed by the internal computers of the instrument, to create an image of internal body tissues. These images were then displayed on the screen for the user, and videotaped for storage and line analysis. b. Would demanding customers consider the innovation's performance to be inadequate? But he worried about how he might penetrate a market that seemed to have been held so tightly for so long by capable, entrenched competitors - and about what mix of product features and services might appeal to the customers he needed to target. Often, the need to move the instrument and a tech to other locations in the hospital could be disruptive to patient flow through the cardiology department's echo lab. Other areas in the hospital in which echocardiography equipment might be used... ... middle of paper ... ...markets. This was accomplished by focusing on design and engineering. However, without strong sales, marketing and production resources, the company will not be able to secure these alternative markets. Since the product is nearly completed, Ecton should stay with their original plan. This would allow Ecton to take advantage of their position as the first to market when negotiating with a potential buyer. By selling the business now, Ecton could avoid the necessity of giving up additional equity to secure additional funding. This would give the original investors (which include the founders) the greatest return on their investment. Michael Cannon has already developed an exit strategy in his Phase III plan. This plan should be followed through. Since Ecton is close to perfecting their product the time is right to make the best deal possible for an acquisition.
(He took over the lease of a building and wanted to transform it into a fully functional department store that offered a variety of products. He also believed in the importance of using new innovations.)
position and some have even had more than half of their spots taken over by their many variations of the stethoscope. There is no perfect product out there, especially in a field as diverse as the medical industry, and each piece of equipment brings their own special feature so it really comes down to what one is looking for in the product. As with any market, there is usually always at least one product that shines out above the rest, often having two rival products battling it out for top spot. However in the stethoscope industry, it is hard to find a product to rival the quality of the Littmann line of products. The Littmann Cardiology III stethoscope is often thought to be one of the best stethoscopes money can buy, but at a premium price of nearly $200, what exactly are you spending your money on for that kind of
Aetna, Inc. was established in 1853 and offers health insurance options for purchase. The main product portfolios include health insurance products with medical, dental, pharmacy, behavioral health, group life and disability plans. This essay will analyze the company’s structure and environment and provide recommendations on strategies that the company could take to improve performance.
In assessing Du Pont’s capital structure after the Conoco merger that significantly increased the company’s debt to equity ratio, an analyst must look at all benefits and drawbacks of a high debt ratio. The main reason why Du Pont ended up with a high debt to equity ratio after acquiring Conoco was due to the timing and price at which they bought Conoco. Du Pont ended up buying the firm at its peak, just before coal and oil prices started to fall and at a time when economic recession hurt the chemical industry of Du Pont. The additional response from analysts and Du Pont stockholders also forced Du Pont to think twice about their new expansion. The thought of bringing the debt ratio back to 25% was brought on by the fact that the company saw that high levels of capital spending were vital to the success of the firm and that high debt levels may put them at higher risk for defaulting.
Percussion is carried out when the patient is sitting in a vertical or horizontal position. Although this technique is of limited value in cardiac assessment, it can be used to determine the borders of cardiac dullness.
...nt for early detection of different diseases. Although they have been somewhat effective in the past, they need to be updated and improved so a wider range of diseases can be detected. Among these checkups, an emphasis should be made on checking for congenital heart defects, especially those who are hard to detect. This should be a priority because a baby with a CCHD could be at risk in the future. Furthermore, children who have a heart disease such as Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome are at greater risk. In these cases, early detection is key for eliminating this types of conditions. This way an appropriate treatment can be given at a younger age and a more permanent solution can be offered to eliminate the condition such as surgery. If the root of these types of diseases can be eliminated now, future generations can have a better healthy life quality and assurance.
A transducer is a mechanism that changes one form of energy to another form. A toaster is a transducer that turns electricity into heat; a loudspeaker is a transducer that changes electricity into sound. Likewise, an ultrasound transducer changes electricity voltage into ultrasound waves, and vice versa. This is possible because of the principle of piezoelectricity, which states that some materials (ceramics, quartz, and others) produce a voltage when deformed by an applied pressure. Conversely, piezoelectricity also results in production of a pressure whe...
○ An ultrasound. This is an imaging test that uses sound waves to create an image of the area.
The heart is a pump with four chambers made of their own special muscle called cardiac muscle. Its interwoven muscle fibers enable the heart to contract or squeeze together automatically (Colombo 7). It’s about the same size of a fist and weighs some where around two hundred fifty to three hundred fifty grams (Marieb 432). The size of the heart depends on a person’s height and size. The heart wall is enclosed in three layers: superficial epicardium, middle epicardium, and deep epicardium. It is then enclosed in a double-walled sac called the Pericardium. The terms Systole and Diastole refer respectively and literally to the contraction and relaxation periods of heart activity (Marieb 432). While the doctor is taking a patient’s blood pressure, he listens for the contractions and relaxations of the heart. He also listens for them to make sure that they are going in a single rhythm, to make sure that there are no arrhythmias or complications. The heart muscle does not depend on the nervous system. If the nervous s...
Assessing the heart through a physical examination or using medical technology to detect the heart’s current state of health has never been this easy since the history of trial and error of figuring out this complex organ. Depending on the condition of the individual, examining the heart can vary from a simple session of questions, regarding the person’s lifestyle and activities, to using medical equipment to the heart’s sounds for any murmurs, pulse rate, blood pressure, and etc. A few of the possibly many more other ways the doctor is able to assess the patient is by physically touching and pressing on certain areas of the body in order to feel for any abnormalities, taking the individual’s blood pressure using what is called a sphygmomanometer, taking one’s pulse rate in any one of the vital signs, and listening to the heart using a stethoscope. These assessments help with further diagnosing any sort of issue relating to the heart in order to begin the treatment process. For example, taking one’s blood pressure shows whether the individual has a low, normal, or high blood pressure (hypotension for severely low bp, hypertension for severely high). Another example is the physical assessment for Coronary Artery Disease. Coronary Artery Disease is categorized by two types: atherosclerosis, meaning the buildup of plaque, fats, or cholesterol, and
Echocardiogram - a soundwave picture to look at the structure and function of the heart.
Perform critical review of the results. Describe success of the marketing decisions and techniques. Synthesize a list of recommendations for marketing and management specialists employed by hi-tech startups in the manufacturing field.
... middle of paper ... ... Designs, C. & B. 2013. ProSonic Acoustic Cubes -. [online] Available at: http://www.customaudiodesigns.co.uk/acoustic-cubes.htm [Accessed: 1 Dec 2013].
When a sound is made a vibration is sent through the air. The vibrations are let off by the source, and this leads to something such as an ear to pick up the noise. Once the detector has picked up the wave, the wave must be ...