Apple Inc. Current market conditions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Apple Inc. Current market conditions - Essay Example The firm is estimated to have the majority of the smart phone market with the main competitors being the Research in Motion of Canada, Samsung of North Korea and the upcoming Huawei of China. On its launch of the Smartphone, the firm was able to sell over ten million units within a month which was a record not only for the firm’s product sales but also for the market. New version of the same product has been very successful with million units in sales made for each new version which is after every two years. Apple has proved to the world that it is a future firm and that it is here to stay. This has to do with its history of innovation and surprising the consumers with new products just when the customers thought they had everything there is to have in the electronics industry. Generally, Apple is a successful company with a growing future. Though it faces threats such as competition from other providers in its line, it stands a better chance for success due to opportunities a nd market venture it has not touched. Law of diminishing demand Mentioning of recent or upcoming purchases of cars and computers suggests a strong consumer demand for the commodities. The confidence of consumers is measured by Consumer Confidence Index (CCI). Consumers’ confidence shows the optimism of the consumers on the economy. This can easily be expressed in their saving and spending activities (Barnes, 2012). Household surveys are carried out every month about the ongoing conditions and the expectations of the future regarding the United States economy. Data is available by age, region, and income for consumer attitudes and buying intentions. A healthy economy means consumers are willing to spend their money. The CCI is calculated from data gathered from 5000 households every month. Five questions are asked in the survey and each question is given a relative value. The values are calculated and compared against a benchmark value that was calculated in 1985. The 1985 ben chmark value is as is because that is when the CCI was first calculated. From the results, an index value is obtained for each of the five questions. The average index values of the questions are obtained and forms the consumer confidence index. Consumer spending is very imperative to a countries’ financial health. Consequently, the CCI is closely and accurately watched economic indicator. Changes of below 5% are usually said to be inconsequential. On the other hand, changes of 5% and above show very strong change in the direction of economy (Barnes, 2012). Competitors and the market While Apple is a leader in the industry, this does not mean that the firm does not have competition. The main competition is from Research in Motion who is the manufacturers of yet another market leading Smartphone, Samsung, which is a Korean electronics manufacturer that is catching up very quickly with the American manufacturers and finally Huawei which is a Chinese mobile communication devise manufacturers who have recently entered the market for Smartphone (Russolillo, 2012). Huawei especially offers a very different kind of competition because apart from having the advantage of the Asian cheap labour from china, it has a very keen focus on manufacturing low cost Smartphone and have entered into strategic coalitions with such giants as Google and a number of mobile phone operators in the world. The

Biomarkers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Biomarkers - Essay Example In aquatic environment, biomarkers depend upon the physical environmental conditions such as temperature, pH or salinity, as well as toxic concentrations of chemical pollutants or any combination of these. Biomarkers can be categorized as non-specific and specific according to their responses to a particular element or a group of environmental factors (Mayer et al., 1992). non-specific biomarkers, for example ribonucleic acid/deoxyribonucleic acid, radiolabelled amino acid or nucleotide incorporation, and adenylate energy charge, give direct information on the growth rate or potential of an organism but they can not be used to determine the particular toxicant. Specific biomarkers can be again categorized n to two sub-categories, organ, and toxicant specific according to method of their recognition. Organ specific biomarkers are analyzed by examining changes in concentration specific enzymes in organisms whether as Toxicant-specific biomarkers are analyzed according to the exposure and effects on an organism due to a chemical or group of chemicals. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), transaminases, creatine phosphokina... criteria with which to assess results should be available Biomarkers can be categorized as non-specific and specific according to their responses to a particular element or a group of environmental factors (Mayer et al., 1992). non-specific biomarkers, for example ribonucleic acid/deoxyribonucleic acid, radiolabelled amino acid or nucleotide incorporation, and adenylate energy charge, give direct information on the growth rate or potential of an organism but they can not be used to determine the particular toxicant. Specific biomarkers can be again categorized n to two sub-categories, organ, and toxicant specific according to method of their recognition. Organ specific biomarkers are analyzed by examining changes in concentration specific enzymes in organisms whether as Toxicant-specific biomarkers are analyzed according to the exposure and effects on an organism due to a chemical or group of chemicals. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), transaminases, creatine phosphokinase, lysosomal enzymes, alkaline phosphatases and mixed function oxidase are the examples of organ specific biomarkers while as inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) by organophosphates and inhibition of cytochrome P monooxygenase, methallothionein and metal binding proteins by metals are some of the toxicant specific biomarkers (Mayer et al., 1992; Gagn and Blaise, 1993). There are basically two parameters for biomarker assessment: global reference values and comparative values. global reference values can be developed for DNA adducts, ALA-D, AChE, scope for growth, CEA, PAH-metabolites, GST, lysosomal stability, micronucleus formation, vitellogenin, MT biomarkers and comparative values can be used for ethoxyresoroufin-o-deethylase (EROD), antioxidant enzymes, peroxisomal