Page 159 - Encyclopedia of Business and Finance

eobf_C 7/5/06 2:57 PM Page 136

Conflict Management

(00, 10, 01, 11), therefore four shades of gray (including CONCLUSION
black and white) can be represented. Four shades of gray Computer graphics will continue to get more sophisti-
are not generally enough gradation to create a realistic rep- cated. Their 3-D photorealistic capabilities and ability to
resentation. Generally, 8 bits, or 256 shades of gray, are predict changes over time have revolutionized product
needed to produce a high-quality image. development and marketing, as well as scientific research
and education. They are responsible for superior special
COLOR AND RESOLUTION effects in movies and on television. Many newspapers and
magazines use only computer-generated graphics. They
Color poses an additional complication. All colors can be
created by combining the three primary colors of light: add an aesthetic and emotional dimension to text. Com-
red, green, and blue. For a computer to render color effec- puter graphics affect everyone’s life in almost every aspect
tively it then needs to separately describe each of these every day.
three primary colors. Although any color can be created SEE ALSO Information Technology
with as few as 2 bits, most computers today use 24-bit or
32-bit depth to represent a full color image, producing up
BIBLIOGRAPHY
to 16,777,216 colors. This surpasses the capability of the
Maxwell, Marty (2004). The Role of Visual Imagery in Advocacy
human eye, which can discern about 10 million colors. Journalism. Athens: University of Georgia.
The higher the bit depth the more accurate the color Zenz, Dave (2002, September). Advances in graphics architec-
is. Even with 16 million colors, however, one may have a tures. Retrieved November 14, 2005, from
low-quality image unless one also has high resolution. Res- http://www1.us.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/vectors/
olution is the density of points, or pixels, on the image en/2002_graphics?c=us&l=en&s=corp
array—that is, the number of columns and rows per inch.
The greater the number of columns and rows the higher the
Marty Maxwell
density. The higher the density, the greater the resolution.
The cost of high resolution and greater bit depth is
space. High-quality graphics take up a large amount of
disk space in a computer and require larger memory sizes CONFLICT
to work with and edit them. One professional digital MANAGEMENT
image can easily require 50 megabytes, that is, 8,192,000
bits, or more, of space. SEE Human Relations; Management/Leadership Styles
Display devices and printers are limited by the
amount of data they can represent. The optimal resolution
required for a digital image varies based upon the output
medium and the number of rows and columns it can dis- CONSUMER ADVOCACY
play per inch. The resulting intersection points are called AND PROTECTION
dots and the number per inch are called dots per inch, or Consumer advocacy refers to actions taken by individuals
dpi. Usually a fine-art print will require high resolution, or groups to promote and protect the interests of the buy-
while a Web-based image will not. One of the advantages ing public. Historically, consumer advocates have assumed
of digital images is they can be stored on the computer a somewhat adversarial role in exposing unfair business
and used repeatedly, each reproduction being exactly the practices or unsafe products that threaten the welfare of
same as the last. the general public. Consumer advocates use tactics such as
Until recently, before viewing a digital image it had to publicity, boycotts, letter-writing campaigns, Internet
be converted to a nondigital or analog format because most “gripe sites,” and lawsuits to raise awareness of issues
output devices were analog. Cathode-ray tubes, most tele- affecting consumers and to counteract the financial and
visions, and many printers are still analog, but liquid crys- political power of the organizations they target. Since even
tal display monitors and many other printers and large, multinational businesses can be visibly wounded
televisions are digital. Digital images can go directly from when their mistreatment of consumers or other con-
the computer to the output device without translation. stituencies arouses the ire of consumer advocacy organiza-
The capabilities and robustness of computer graphics tions, it should be obvious to business owners that they
have evolved over several decades. See Table 1 for high- can ill afford to engage in business practices that could
lights of the major advancements regarding computer draw the attention of consumer advocates.
graphics in the fields of computer technology, video, Periods of vocal consumer advocacy around the turn
movies and television, and modeling. of the twentieth century and in the late 1960s have left a

136 ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BUSINESS AND FINANCE, SECOND EDITION