Infinite Regress in Action

4 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO STRATEGIC REASONING

store with the same item in stock, we want to know about it. Bring it to our attention, and we’ll gladly beat their price by 10% of the difference.” Although these policies would seem to represent fierce competition, such price-matching guarantees can actually raise prices! How can that be?

Ford and the $5-a-day wage In 1914, Henry Ford offered the unheard-of wage of $5 a day to workers in his automobile factories, more than double the going wage. Although we might conclude that Henry Ford was just being generous with his workers, his strategy may actually have increased the prof- its of the Ford Motor Company. How can higher labor costs increase profits?

Nuclear standoff Brinkmanship is said to be the ability to get to the verge of war without actually getting into a war. This skill was pertinent to a recent episode in which the United States sought to persuade North Korea to discontinue its nuclear weapons program. Even if Kim Jong-Il has no desire to go to war, could it be best for him to take actions which suggest that he is willing to use nuclear weapons on South Korea? And if that is the case, should President Bush take an aggressive stance and thereby call a sane Kim Jong-Il’s bluff, but at the risk of inducing a crazy Kim Jong-Il to fire off nuclear weapons?

Jury room After the completion of a trial, the 12 jurors retire to the jury room. On the basis of their initial assessment, only 2 of them believe that the defendant is guilty. They start their deliberations by taking a vote. In turn, each and every juror announces a vote of guilty! How can this hap- pen? And is there an alternative voting procedure that would have avoided such an unrepresentative outcome?

Galileo and the Inquisition In 1633, the great astronomer and scientist Galileo Galilei was under consideration for interrogation by the Inquisition. The Catholic Church contended that Galileo violated an order not to teach that the earth revolves around the sun. Why did Pope Urban I refer Galileo’s case to the Inquisitors? Should Galileo confess?

Waiting at an airport gate Some airlines have an open seating policy, which means that those first in line get a better selection of seats. If the passengers are comfortably seated at the gate, when does a line start forming and when should you join it?

Helping a stranger Studies by psychologists show that a person is less likely to offer assistance to someone in need when there are several other people nearby who could help. Some studies even find that the more peo- ple there are who could help, the less likely is any help to be offered! How is it that when there are more people to help out, the person in need is more likely to be neglected?

Trench warfare in World War I During World War I, the Allied and German forces would engage in sustained periods of combat, regularly launching offensives from their dirt fortifications. In the midst of this bloodletting, soldiers in opposing trenches would occasionally achieve a truce of sorts. They would shoot at predictable intervals so that the other side could take cover, not shoot during meals, and not fire artillery at the enemy’s supply lines. How was this truce achieved and sustained?

Doping in sports Whether it is the Olympics, Major League Baseball, or the Tour de France, the use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs such