Real-Life Decision Making
You specialize in working with neon. You make a lot of signs, but you think
of yourself as an artist who paints with bent glass and light instead of acrylic
or oil. Many people think of neon signs as the typical "beer" or "Mom and
Dad's Pizza Joint" sign. If they only stepped into your shop, they would have
a different idea of what neon can do.
First off, they would notice something unusual on the wall. You've made
an aquarium full of brightly colored fish to show off all the different colors
available in neon. The pictures on the wall are made of neon, not canvas and
paint. People can actually look into the workroom and see projects being completed.
And there aren't any computers or high-tech gadgets. Customers come in, sit
down and someone is immediately there, helping them take the idea from their
head and craft it into neon.
You've just finished working with a sign, and when you look up you notice
a customer coming in. You get up and see what he wants.
"Hi, can I help you?" You offer him a seat and sit down next to him.
"I sure hope you can. I have a car that I just love. In fact, I love it
so much that I want a neon sign made of it that I can put on the wall of my
garage."
"That shouldn't be too difficult. How big of a sign do you want?"
"Really big. I've got quite a bit of space on one wall. Here's a picture
of my car. Isn't it a beauty!"
You look down at the car and see that it is indeed a beautiful piece of
machinery -- a Dodge Viper. Thinking about how you are going to design this,
you start reaching for a pencil and a pad of paper. Then you hear the customer
continue.
"There is one thing that I have my heart set on. See the license plate.
I've just got to have my name spelled out in neon there!"
Your jaw drops as you look at the man. You know that no one has ever made
a piece of neon that small! In order to make neon that size, you would need
glass the size of a pencil lead.
What do you do?