A domino is a tile with a number on one side and blank on the other. The tiles are arranged so that they can only be matched with other dominoes that have the same numbers, which allow a chain of dominoes to grow in length.
The term “domino effect” refers to any situation that causes a series of events with each successive event being more severe or damaging than the last. This concept can be applied to both social and business situations. It has also been used as a metaphor for a particular business strategy employed by Domino’s Pizza, the US-based franchise company that has more than 25,000 locations worldwide.
Domino’s uses a strategy called “fortressing” to protect its market share and profitability by expanding into new markets and territories while maintaining the quality and reputation of their existing restaurants. This allows the company to leverage their existing infrastructure and brand recognition into new areas without having to pay as much in startup costs. For example, when the company expands into a new territory, they can use their existing distribution centers to provide support for local delivery drivers and establish a customer service network to help them get settled in the region.
This strategy has been highly successful for the company. In fact, it has been the basis of their strategy for over 30 years and has helped them achieve record profits. Domino’s CEO Don Meij has even appeared on the show Undercover Boss, where he takes part in a day in the life of a Domino’s driver to see firsthand how the company’s employees perform and interact with their customers.
For Hevesh, the art of domino is not just about making a line of dominoes fall in order; it is about building structures that challenge the dominoes to do something that they otherwise would not do. In some instances, her creations are three dimensional and have to be constructed with specialized equipment that is capable of handling the massive amount of energy needed to set them in motion. In other cases, her creations are simply made up of several large sections that have to be positioned and connected properly so they can all work together.
Hevesh often tests the parts of a larger creation before she assembles them together to make sure that they all function correctly. She films the tests in slow motion, so that she can see the results and adjust accordingly. She will sometimes even build test versions of individual sections of a domino sculpture in order to figure out the best way to assemble them into a complete structure.
When Hevesh begins a new installation, she starts with the largest 3-D sections and works her way down to the smaller flat arrangements. Once she has all the sections of the sculpture in place, she can then start working on the lines that connect them together. As she adds the lines, she is careful to ensure that each domino is able to fit exactly where it is supposed to be in the final configuration. Only then can she be confident that her massive sculpture will not only stand but also be able to fall in a spectacular display of rhythmic movement.