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Wiki Wiki Summary
Competitor analysis Competitive analysis in marketing and strategic management is an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and potential competitors. This analysis provides both an offensive and defensive strategic context to identify opportunities and threats.
Sport of athletics Athletics is a group of sporting events that involves competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and racewalking.
List of Dancing with the Stars (American TV series) competitors Dancing with the Stars is an American reality television show in which celebrity contestants and professional dance partners compete to be the best dancers, as determined by the show's judges and public voting. The series first broadcast in 2005, and thirty complete seasons have aired on ABC. During each season, competitors are progressively eliminated on the basis of public voting and scores received from the judges until only a few contestants remain.
Arithmetic Arithmetic (from Ancient Greek ἀριθμός (arithmós) 'number', and τική [τέχνη] (tikḗ [tékhnē]) 'art, craft') is an elementary part of mathematics that consists of the study of the properties of the traditional operations on numbers—addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, exponentiation, and extraction of roots. In the 19th century, Italian mathematician Giuseppe Peano formalized arithmetic with his Peano axioms, which are highly important to the field of mathematical logic today.
Operations management Operations management is an area of management concerned with designing and controlling the process of production and redesigning business operations in the production of goods or services. It involves the responsibility of ensuring that business operations are efficient in terms of using as few resources as needed and effective in meeting customer requirements.
Emergency operations center An emergency operations center (EOC) is a central command and control facility responsible for carrying out the principles of emergency preparedness and emergency management, or disaster management functions at a strategic level during an emergency, and ensuring the continuity of operation of a company, political subdivision or other organization.\nAn EOC is responsible for strategic direction and operational decisions and does not normally directly control field assets, instead leaving tactical decisions to lower commands.
Research and development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in Europe as research and technological development (RTD), is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products, and improving existing ones. Research and development constitutes the first stage of development of a potential new service or the production process.
Development hell Development hell, development purgatory, and development limbo are media and software industry jargon for a project, concept, or idea that remains in development for an especially long time, often moving between different crews, scripts, game engines, or studios before it progresses to production, if it ever does. Projects in development hell are usually not released until development has reached a satisfying state worthy of being released, ready for production.
Professional development Professional development is learning to earn or maintain professional credentials such as academic degrees to formal coursework, attending conferences, and informal learning opportunities situated in practice. It has been described as intensive and collaborative, ideally incorporating an evaluative stage.
Dysphagia Dysphoria (from Ancient Greek δύσφορος (dúsphoros) 'grievous'; from δυσ- (dus-) 'bad, difficult', and φέρω (phérō) 'to bear') is a profound state of unease or dissatisfaction. It is the opposite of euphoria.
Raytheon Technologies Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. It is one of the largest aerospace, intelligence services providers, and defense manufacturers in the world by revenue and market capitalization.
United Technologies United Technologies Corporation (UTC) was an American multinational conglomerate headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut. It researched, developed, and manufactured products in numerous areas, including aircraft engines, aerospace systems, HVAC, elevators and escalators, fire and security, building automation, and industrial products, among others.
Lumen Technologies Lumen Technologies, Inc. (formerly CenturyLink) is an American \ntelecommunications company headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana, that offers communications, network services, security, cloud solutions, voice, and managed services.
Patent claim In a patent or patent application, the claims define, in technical terms, the extent, i.e. the scope, of the protection conferred by a patent, or the protection sought in a patent application.
List of mergers and acquisitions by Meta Platforms Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook, Inc.) is a technology company that has acquired 91 other companies, including WhatsApp. The WhatsApp acquisition closed at a steep $16 billion; more than $40 per user of the platform.
Bolt-on acquisition Bolt-on acquisition refers to the acquisition of smaller companies, usually in the same line of business, that presents strategic value. This is in contrast to primary acquisitions of other companies which are generally in different industries, require larger investments, or are of similar size to the acquiring company.
Library acquisitions Library acquisitions is the department of a library responsible for the selection and purchase of materials or resources. The department may select vendors, negotiate consortium pricing, arrange for standing orders, and select individual titles or resources.Libraries, both physical and digital, usually have four common broad goals that help dictate these responsibilities.
List of acquisitions by Oracle This is a listing of Oracle Corporation's corporate acquisitions, including acquisitions of both companies and individual products.\nOracle's version does not include value of the acquisition.See also Category:Sun Microsystems acquisitions (Sun was acquired by Oracle).
Business-to-business Business-to-business (B2B or, in some countries, BtoB) is a situation where one business makes a commercial transaction with another. This typically occurs when:\n\nA business is sourcing materials for their production process for output (e.g., a food manufacturer purchasing salt), i.e.
Business Is Business Business-to-business (B2B or, in some countries, BtoB) is a situation where one business makes a commercial transaction with another. This typically occurs when:\n\nA business is sourcing materials for their production process for output (e.g., a food manufacturer purchasing salt), i.e.
Small business Small businesses are corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships which have fewer employees and/or less annual revenue than a regular-sized business or corporation. Businesses are defined as "small" in terms of being able to apply for government support and qualify for preferential tax policy varies depending on the country and industry.
Business is business Business-to-business (B2B or, in some countries, BtoB) is a situation where one business makes a commercial transaction with another. This typically occurs when:\n\nA business is sourcing materials for their production process for output (e.g., a food manufacturer purchasing salt), i.e.
Business Proposal Business Proposal (Korean: 사내 맞선; Hanja: 社內맞선; RR: Sanae Matseon; lit. The Office Blind Date) is a South Korean romantic comedy television series based on the webtoon of the same title written by HaeHwa and illustrated by Narak.
Knowledge acquisition Knowledge acquisition is the process used to define the rules and ontologies required for a knowledge-based system. The phrase was first used in conjunction with expert systems to describe the initial tasks associated with developing an expert system, namely finding and interviewing domain experts and capturing their knowledge via rules, objects, and frame-based ontologies.
Ben Ashkenazy Ben Ashkenazy (born 1968/69) is an American billionaire real estate developer. He is the founder, CEO, and majority owner of Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation, which has a $12 billion property portfolio.
Action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats.\nThe genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life-threatening situations, a dangerous villain, or a pursuit which usually concludes in victory for the hero.
Intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others.
Intellectual property infringement An intellectual property (IP) infringement is the infringement or violation of an intellectual property right. There are several types of intellectual property rights, such as copyrights, patents, trademarks, industrial designs, and trade secrets.
Exhaustion of intellectual property rights The exhaustion of intellectual property rights constitutes one of the limits of intellectual property (IP) rights. Once a given product has been sold under the authorization of the IP owner, the reselling, rental, lending and other third party commercial uses of IP-protected goods in domestic and international markets is governed by the principle.After a product covered by an IP right, such as by a patent right, has been sold by the IP right owner or by others with the consent of the owner, the IP right is said to be exhausted.
Intellectual property in China Intellectual property rights (IPRs) have been acknowledged and protected in China since the 1980s. China has acceded to the major international conventions on protection of rights to intellectual property.
Libertarian perspectives on intellectual property Libertarians have differing opinions on the validity of intellectual property.\n\n\n== Political parties ==\nThe Libertarian Party of Canada takes "a moderate approach to patents and copyrights", calling for "a careful review of existing and proposed legislation".
Plant breeders' rights Plant breeders' rights (PBR), also known as plant variety rights (PVR), are rights granted to the breeder of a new variety of plant that give the breeder exclusive control over the propagating material (including seed, cuttings, divisions, tissue culture) and harvested material (cut flowers, fruit, foliage) of a new variety for a number of years.\nWith these rights, the breeder can choose to become the exclusive marketer of the variety, or to license the variety to others.
Trademark infringement Trademark infringement is a violation of the exclusive rights attached to a trademark without the authorization of the trademark owner or any licensees (provided that such authorization was within the scope of the licence). Infringement may occur when one party, the "infringer", uses a trademark which is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark owned by another party, in relation to products or services which are identical or similar to the products or services which the registration covers.
Women's property rights Women's property rights are property and inheritance rights enjoyed by women as a category within a society.\nProperty rights are claims to property that are legally and socially recognized and enforceable by external legitimized authority.
Real property In English common law, real property, real estate, immovable property or, solely in the US, realty, is land which is the property of some person and all structures (also called improvements or fixtures) integrated with or affixed to the land, including crops, buildings, machinery, wells, dams, ponds, mines, canals, and roads, among other things. The term is historic, arising from the now-discontinued form of action, which distinguished between real property disputes and personal property disputes.
Risk Factors
These factors include the following: If we fail to develop or market new products and enhance existing products, we could lose market share to our competitors and our results of operations could suffer
The market for interventional devices is characterized by rapid technological change, new product introductions, technological improvements, changes in physician requirements and evolving industry standards
To be successful, we must continue to develop and commercialize new products and to enhance versions of our existing products
Our products are technologically complex and require significant planning, design, development and testing before they may be marketed
This process generally takes at least 12 to 18 months from initial concept and may take up to several years
In addition, product life cycles are relatively short because medical device manufacturers continually develop smaller, more effective and less expensive versions of existing devices in response to physician demand
Our success in developing and commercializing new and enhanced versions of our products is affected by our ability to: • timely and accurately identify new market trends; • accurately assess customer needs; • minimize the time and costs required to obtain regulatory clearance or approval; • adopt competitive pricing; • timely manufacture and deliver products; • accurately predict and control costs associated with the development, manufacturing and support of our products; and • anticipate and compete effectively with our competitors’ efforts
Market acceptance of our products depends in part on our ability to demonstrate that our products are cost-effective and easier to use, as well as offer technological advantages
Additionally, we may experience design, manufacturing, marketing or other difficulties that could delay or prevent our development, introduction or marketing of new versions of our products
As a result of such difficulties and delays, our development expenses may increase and, as a consequence, our results of operations could suffer
Competition may decrease our market share and cause our revenues to decline
The markets for interventional devices are highly competitive, and we expect competition to continue to intensify
We may not be able to compete effectively, and we may lose market share to our competitors
The principal competitors in the markets for our products currently include: Boston Scientific Corporation; Cook, Incorporated; Cordis Corporation, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, Inc
; Medical Components, Inc, or Medcomp; and VNUS Medical Technologies, Inc
Many of our competitors have substantially greater: • financial and other resources; • variety of products; • technical capabilities; • ability to develop and introduce new products; • patent portfolios that may present an obstacle to our conduct of business; • name recognition; and • distribution networks and in-house sales forces
17 ______________________________________________________________________ [38]Table of Contents Our competitors may succeed in developing technologies and products earlier, in obtaining patent protection or regulatory clearance earlier, or in commercializing new products or technologies more rapidly than us
Our competitors may also develop products and technologies that are superior to those we are developing or that otherwise could render our products obsolete or noncompetitive
In addition, we may face competition from providers of other medical therapies, such as pharmaceutical companies, that may offer non-surgical therapies for conditions that are currently or in the future may be treated using our products
Our products are generally sold at higher prices than those of our competitors
However, in the current environment of managed care, which is characterized by economically motivated buyers, consolidation among healthcare providers, increased competition and declining reimbursement rates, we are increasingly being required to compete on the basis of price
If we are not able to compete effectively, our market share and revenues may decline
We may be exposed to risks associated with acquisitions, including integration risks and risks associated with methods of financing and the impact of accounting treatment
Accordingly, completed acquisitions may not enhance our business
Part of our growth strategy is to acquire businesses and technologies that are complementary to ours
Any such acquisitions would be accompanied by the risks commonly encountered in acquisitions, including the: • potential disruption of our business while we evaluate opportunities, complete acquisitions and develop and implement new business strategies to take advantage of these opportunities; • inability of our management to maximize our financial and strategic position by incorporating an acquired technology or business into our existing offerings; • difficulty of maintaining uniform standards, controls, procedures and policies; • difficulty of assimilating the operations and personnel of acquired businesses; • potential loss of key employees of acquired businesses, and the impairment of relationships with employees and customers as a result of changes in management; and • uncertainty as to the long-term success of any acquisitions we may make
We cannot assure you that any completed acquisition will enhance our business
If we proceed with one or more significant acquisitions in which the consideration consists of cash, a substantial portion of our available cash, could be used to consummate the acquisitions
If we consummate one or more acquisitions in which the consideration consists of capital stock, our stockholders could suffer significant dilution of their interest in us
In addition, we could incur or assume significant amounts of indebtedness in connection with acquisitions
Further, acquisitions could also result in significant goodwill and/or amortization charges for acquired businesses or technologies
If we fail to adequately protect our intellectual property rights, our business may suffer
Our success depends in part on obtaining, maintaining and enforcing our patents, trademarks and other proprietary rights, and our ability to avoid infringing the proprietary rights of others
We take precautionary steps to protect our technological advantages and intellectual property
We rely upon patent, trade secret, copyright, know-how and trademark laws, as well as license agreements and contractual provisions, to establish our intellectual property rights and protect our products
However, these measures may not adequately protect our intellectual property rights
Our patents may not provide commercially meaningful protection, as competitors may be able to design around our patents to produce alternative, non-infringing designs
Additionally, we may not be able to effectively protect our rights in unpatented technology, trade secrets and confidential information
Although we require our new employees, consultants and corporate partners to execute confidentiality agreements, these agreements may not provide effective protection of our information or, in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure, may not provide adequate remedies
18 ______________________________________________________________________ [39]Table of Contents If third parties claim that our products infringe their intellectual property rights, we may be forced to expend significant financial resources and management time defending against such actions and our results of operations could suffer
Third parties may claim that our products infringe their patents and other intellectual property rights
Identifying third-party patent rights can be particularly difficult because, in general, patent applications can be maintained in secrecy for at least 18 months after their earliest priority date
Some companies in the medical device industry have used intellectual property infringement litigation to gain a competitive advantage
If a competitor were to challenge our patents, licenses or other intellectual property rights, or assert that our products infringe its patent or other intellectual property rights, we could incur substantial litigation costs, be forced to make expensive changes to our product design, license rights in order to continue manufacturing and selling our products, or pay substantial damages
Third-party infringement claims, regardless of their outcome, would not only consume our financial resources but also divert our management’s time and effort
Such claims could also cause our customers or potential customers to purchase competitors’ products or defer or limit their purchase or use of our affected products until resolution of the claim
In January 2004, Diomed filed an action against us alleging that our VenaCure products for the treatment of varicose veins infringe a patent held by Diomed for a laser system that competes with our VenaCure products
Diomed’s complaint seeks injunctive relief and compensatory and treble damages
In October 2005, VNUS Medical Technologies filed an action against us, Diomed and another defendant alleging, among other things, that the manufacture, use and sale of our VenaCure products infringe several patents held by VNUS and seeking injunctive relief and compensatory and treble damages
For fiscal 2006, sales of our VenaCure products accounted for approximately 15prca of our total sales
If Diomed or VNUS Medical Technologies is successful in its action against us, our results of operations could