Essay on Assimilationism vs. Multiculturalism - 753 Words

Assimilationism vs. Multiculturalism In the words of Thomas Bray, Should we assimilate to one standard, or should we celebrate diversity? This is a popular question in Americas classrooms today. America, known as the melting pot, is made up of many different colors, races, religions, and beliefs. American professors, journalists, and authors would like to know if multiculturalism has a positive effect on children in todays classrooms. Whether or not the students way of life and personal experiences should be discussed in class is a major issue. Maxine Hairston, a Professor of Rhetoric and Composition at the University of Texas at Austin, writes of her experience with teaching in a multicultural classroom. Hairston is a†¦show more content†¦The businessmen, Thomas Bray claims, They tended to agree-as do most of the polls-that bilingual education is a bad idea. California had a state ballot against bilingual education. An opinion as such coming from a businessman who has no experience in as everyday classroom is not a good basis to go from. The Latino citizens in California just want an equally fair chance to get an education as any other citizen of the United States. All people go to school to learn no matter what race, religion, gender, or belief. An excellent point Bray makes, But a country that has no standards to assimilate to is a country without a core. And a country in deep trouble. Bray knows that America is a country of differences and not a perfect one, but we are still all one country. If we do not accep t people and their differences then America will fall apart. Amy Tan, an author, grew up in a multicultural classroom. She writes of personal experiences as being a child of an immigrant family in America. Tan relates to the differences she had because of her mother speaking broken English. Amy Tan does say, That was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, made sense of the world. She shaped the world through her mothers voice, the only thing she knew as a young girl. Tan goes on, But I do think that the language spoken in the family, especially in immigrant families which use more insular, plays a large role in shaping the language of

The New Heaven And New Earth - 2305 Words

According to Wright (1969: 70-96), Wisdom could provide guidance for the moral life, but it did not articulate a distinctive faith centred in the salvific actions of God. In postcolonial critical hermeneutic, we infer that wisdom is at the heart of both creation and redemption, although it is unravelled by a faith that is not based on a moral, but on a spiritual rebirth. Furthermore, to understood creation one has to view it as both the prologue to history and its eschatological climax in the new heaven and new earth. Creation stands as both the beginning and the end of the divine-human drama, but it have very limited importance for what occurs in between (Gen.3-Rev.20). The conventional world-view of some wisdom writings is that righteousness leads to an ordered universe. Righteousness within the biblical context is described as having the quality of being right as measured by the standard of God’s moral character. A cosmological approach to perceiving wisdom focuses on the cosmos and world order. It sees the cosmos as the product of an intelligent design or the wise craftsmanship of an invisible hand. This approach proposes that in the wisdom traditions of the ancient Near East, creation was thought to be pre-arranged into a cosmic order and with its components of reality, integrated into a harmonious whole. This approach and Old Testament theology of wisdom have similarities and concepts of custodianship of creation. Both affirm that humans are stewards of creation.Show MoreRelatedArgumentative Essay On Heaven939 Words   |  4 PagesHeaven Many people wonder what will happen to them after they die. Will their soul live on, or will they die? Is there a heaven or hell? While there are many myths and legends that can be misleading concerning heaven and how to get there, Christians believe they will go to Heaven after their temporary life on earth. Both the Hebrew word for Heaven (Shamyim) and the Greek word Ouranos â€Å"can mean God’s dwelling place† (â€Å"What is Heaven†). Psalm 103:19 says â€Å"ADONAI (The LORD) has set up His throne inRead MoreHow the Earth Was Made713 Words   |  3 Pagesof the earth being made because they all have it that men made the earth. This story has it that the heaven and earth were integrated into one body that reminds you of an egg, that Pangu slept inside. He slept for about 18,000 years and then woke up. He noticed that he was in a vast of dark; therefore, he made his hands huge and cut into the darkness. After an explosion, heaven and earth started to split. He was scared that the heaven and earth may go together again, so he held the heaven with hisRead MoreHymn To Purusha1272 Words   |  6 Pages In Rig Veda, Hymn is created for worship other gods in heaven by â€Å"the fire of the sacrificial alter† (Doniger, 1). In the Hymn, it is indicated that Agni is one of the god whose task is â€Å"to carry the burned sacrifice upward to heaven where the other gods would receive it† (1). Hymn to Purusha listed â€Å"that the universe, and human society came about as a result of the sacrifice of Purusha† (4). According to Hymn to Purusha, Purusha has many heads, hands and feet. Yet, Purusha is God of eternalRead MoreEncounters with Angels in the Bible Essay675 Words   |  3 Pages(Strong’s H4397) and the Greek word â€Å"angelos† in the New Testament (Strong’s G32). Both words mean â€Å"messenger† and describes one who executes the plan and will of the person whom they serve. God, the Creator of all things in heaven and on the earth both the visible and invisible, created an innumerable quantity of angels. The angels were designed by Him for His glory. For it was in Him that all things were created, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, whether thrones, dominionsRead MoreWhen The Kings Come Marching1672 Words   |  7 Pagessuggests that heaven is and will be a renewed creation that includes embodied existence on earth rather than a spiritual place where creation is apart from the soul. Mouw supports his argument throughout the book by explaining the creation of culture, Christ’s grace towards His creation, and offering a purpose to our existence. The afterlife is a concept that has troubled humans for a long time. For many decades, people have worried about â€Å"their ticket† to heaven and what heaven consist off. FirstRead MoreGod s Message Of Redemption For Mankind1438 Words   |  6 Pageswould enjoy the freedom accompanying the glory that God’s children will have. We know that until now, the whole creation has been groaning as with the pains of childbirth; - Romans 8:21-22 I ve heard various preachers say that animals cannot go to heaven because they do not have souls. They further push this thought by pointing out that Jesus died only to save the sinful souls of human beings. This reveals both a lack of familiarity with the Scriptures and a failure to understand God s plan. TheRead More`` Lovely Bones `` By Alice Sebold1400 Words   |  6 Pagesliving. Susie was brutally hurt and killed from a new neighbor, Mr. Harvey, who was never discovered for his numerous crimes. Sebold presents various settings where the protagonist, Susie Salmon, initiates to adjust with her new home in heaven after her terrifying homicide and maintains a connection with life on Earth without her. An important factor of this novel is that the setting is very unusual, since, Susie describes the life on Earth from the heaven she has created, which she can’t leave untilRead MoreAll Christians Must Agree That God Created Our Universe Essay1359 Words   |  6 Pagesbecause it is one of the many foundational beliefs that makes a Christian, Christian. Unfortunately, since creation is well known and a foundational belief, it is often overlooked and not fully understood. The definition of creation was something new I discovered while researching this topic. According to Bible Hub, the Greek word for creation is ÃŽ ºÃâ€žÃŽ ¯ÃÆ'ÃŽ ¹Ãâ€š, often meaning the founding of a city or always of Divine work. The second part of this definition is the definition used in Genesis 1. As ChristiansRead MoreEssay Angels1189 Words   |  5 Pagesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;God’s holy angels carry out a variety of tasks and deeds, as well as the angels of Satan. They carry out what the will of heaven is on earth when god Himself wants. Sometimes they appear as normal humans and sometimes with all the radiance of heaven shining upon them, and making known that a part of heaven is on earth. What I am going to try to explain is that I don’t think that angels have a role. I think that any angel does whatever heaven’s will wants it to do, whenRead MoreEschatology. Introduction. This Week We Have Studied Eschatology,995 Words   |  4 Pages but the world has yet to experience the kingdom of God come to earth, as shown in Revelation. (Lecture 5). This te nsion gives the Christian hope, not for some disembodied experience wafting on a cloud in the sky, but of a renewed physical existence when earth achieves full integration of the spiritual and the material world. Jesus references this in the Lord’s prayer, â€Å"thy kingdom come; thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.† (Matthew 6:9-13; Bird, 2013). Jesus began his ministry in Galilee

Brand Manager Advantages and Responsibilities

Question: Discuss about theBrand Manager Advantages and Responsibilities. Answer: Introduction The steady increase in competition around the world for any given product or service has ensured that just the quality of the product or the price of the product are not enough to make a mark. The concept of branding has hence seen a growth in todays world to ensure that uniqueness of the product is highlighted in its customer base. Be it a simple logo or a slogan or a product that is identified with the company, branding intends to form emotional bond with customer. Branding helps in significantly increasing the customer base and retention of customers as it highlights what the company is known for (Urde, 2013). Ashraf Homemade Ice-creams have hence seen the possibilities that branding could provide and hence have hired Ahmed, a branding manager who would able to develop an new product and flavor that highlights what Ashraf Homemade Ice-creams stand for. Advantages of a Brand Manager A brand manager can make major changes to how a company is perceived in the current market. This is the key analysis to be made to understand where the company stands. This analysis done by the brand manager would help in understanding what the companys strengths are and the key areas it needs to focus on. It also helps in understanding the other possible markets into which the company could penetrate with its existing products or the new products it can develop to target new customers. Brand managers are also helpful in developing marketing strategies. Since they have an insight of where the company needs to make a mark, advertising based on the target customers can be done. Also, the company would have one person focusing on the development of the brand, this would help in a concentrated development of the brand (Balmer, 2013). Experienced brand managers in particular have the capacity to pool in ideas from their experience and use them for the development of the current company. This would involving remodeling of innovative ideas that have worked in other industries. Since brand managers are particularly trained in this field, the cost of training for a company is negligible. Also, some companies may see a brand manager as a cost, however, compared to the possible sales that a brand manager can fetch in, this cost is insignificant. Responsibilities of a Brand Manager In case of the Ahmed below listed are the key responsibilities of a brand manager Understand what Ashraf homemade Ice-cream stands for. The company is known for the high quality innovative products and hence the same has to reflect in the new product being developed (Panigyrakis, 2015). The company already has a significant number of clients, however, increasing competition implies that the retention of the same can be challenging (Thakur, 2012). Hence, Ahmed would have to understand why clients choose the current company over the other company and what changes the client would like. This would highlight the strengths and weakness of the company (Aaker, 2012). Next, Ahmed would have to identify a new target customer base to increase sales keeping in mind not to lose the current market. Understanding the common points of these markets and developing a product for the same by highlights the pros of the company and minimizing the cons is required. Also, Ahmed would have to analyze what the competitors in the current market are doing and how Ashraf is different from others. Using this analysis, bits of competitors business strategies can be adopted (Golant, 2012). Post analysis Ahmed would have to come up with a brand plan that is simple, unique and esthetic. Once the plan is developed, he should be able to predict the possible issues that may arise and find ways to minimize the same. The new brand plan has to be informed to every employee to ensure that the uniqueness in highlighted all over. He should make sure that the new brand identity does not erase the original brand identity but rather empowers it Also, he should be able to do all the above in the provided budget. Conclusion Choosing a brand manager is an intelligent decisions especially when a company is looking to grow in the current market. A focused trained personnel would be able to analyze the market and come up with ideas that would highlight the brand thereby increasing the sales and enhancing the growth of the company References Aaker, D. A., Joachimsthaler, E. (2012). Brand leadership. Simon and Schuster. Balmer, J. M. (2013). Corporate brand orientation: What is it? What of it?. Journal of Brand management, 20(9), 723-741. Golant, B. D. (2012). Bringing the corporate brand to life: The brand manager as practical author. Journal of Brand Management, 20(2), 115-127. Panigyrakis, G. G., Veloutsou, C. A. (2015). Brand Managers Planning Role for Fast Moving Consumer Good Products. In Global Perspectives in Marketing for the 21st Century (pp. 182-185). Springer International Publishing. Thakur, S., Singh, D. R. A. (2012). Brand image, customer satisfaction and loyalty intention: a study in the context of cosmetic product among the people of Central India. EXCEL International Journal of Multidisciplinary Management Studies, 2(5), 37-50. Urde, M., Baumgarth, C., Merrilees, B. (2013). Brand orientation and market orientationFrom alternatives to synergy. Journal of Business Research, 66(1), 13-20.

Theoretical Concepts Of Strategic Management †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Theoretical Concepts Of Strategic Management. Answer: Strategic management is a planning process where an organization, firm or company comes up and implements objectives, goals following specific set strategies. As the organization develops the process continues but can change depending on the set goals and objectives as per that business period. Both developed and developing organizations enhance this process to ensure that they are in line with other business trends in the market like globalization. There are various theoretical concepts that enhance the process of strategic management. Two of these concepts include Strategic theory and resource-based theory. Strategic theory. This is a theoretic concept that illustrates the importance of laying strategies in an organization to enhance its production, distribution and consumption activities. To enhance this, the concept is explained in five stages of successful strategic management in an organization. These stages include goal setting, analysis of organization information, strategy formation, strategy implementation and evaluation and control. Impact of strategic stages is crucial as they enhance the level of development of an organization. Woolworth Company made a huge loss of 1.8 dollars in the year 2015 as a result of poor planning (Knox Knox, 2015). The company is one of the most established food outlets globally, it has experienced various challenges resulting to struggling of branding system and even crossing some of its local outlets. In the same way, though Coles has better selling strategies than that of Woolworth, its experiencing related challenges as its feeling the level of competition and also issues on strategy development. Aldi, on the other hand, has a well-developed strategy and it's becoming a market hero. Resource-based theory. This is a theoretical concept stating that organizational resources are limited in mobility and not similar. The main aim of starting a business or rather an organization is to exploit the available resources and they can be translated into a strategic value to benefit the organization. As elaborated in the case study, the ability of any company to acquire adequate and relevant resources increases its chances to have a better marketing value. Example, if food store cannot provide food products to its customers, it has no value to be called a food store (Wojciechowska, 2016). Critically reflect on the business practices enhanced in the case study and give recommendations that would enhance either sustainability or strategic management of Woolworths and Coles Company. Discussion Strategy development and implementation. Woolworth Company has a problem in planning its activities, the level of planning is poor as the company is making losses and also losing it to Coles Company which was at the same level back then. The company made losses and lost branding of products due to poor planning. Cole, in the same way, adopted the same strategies that reduced its ability to develop (Kaiser Ringlstetter, 2011). Another business practice is marketing mix activities. The two companies, Woolworth and Cole have adopted the samemarketing mix practices of price deflation and cost reduction. This is reckless as the companies should enhance positive marketing mix activities to ensuring customers price satisfaction. They should not just lower prices but also ensure the products they are giving to consumers are of high value to satisfy their needs. This enhances positive customers satisfaction thus remaining loyal to their service providers (Couto, Plansky Caglar, 2017). Recommendations to enhance strategic Management Woolworth and Cole should adopt the strategic theory of management to enhance their management activities. Should enhance positive marketing mix activities to enhance customers price satisfaction. Should enhance positive means to increase their economies of scale to ensure they remain competitive in their market. Woolworth Company should focus on establishing relevant local outlets to prevent increased cases of making losses other than profits. Should put down relevant measures of enhancing customer loyalty as well as means of implementing them. References Couto, V., Plansky, J., Caglar, D. (2017). Fit for growth: A guide to strategic cost cutting, restructuring, and renewal. Kaiser, S., Ringlstetter, M. J. (2011). Strategic management of professional service firms: Theory and practice. Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. Knox, M., Knox, M. (2015). Supermarket monsters: The price of Coles and Woolworths' dominance. Collingwood: Schwartz Publishing Pty, Limited. Wojciechowska, M. (2016). Intangible organizational resources: Analysis of resource-based theory and the measurement of library effectiveness.

Silas Marner By George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) (1819 - 1880) Essays

Silas Marner by George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) (1819 - 1880) Silas Marner by George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) (1819 - 1880) Type of Work: Symbolic, life drama Setting English village of Raveloe; early nineteenth century Principal Characters Silas Marner, a lonely and miserly linen-weaver Godfrey Cass, an insensitive, yet charming, young man Dunstan Cass, Godfrey's opportunistic brother Squire Cass, Godfrey and Dunstan's lewd, dull-witted father Eppie, an abandoned little girl Story Overveiw Silas Marner, bent at his loom, was interrupted by some curious boys peering through his cabin window. Scaring them away with an icy stare, the shriveled linen-weaver returned to his work. Fifteen years earlier Marner had come to Raveloe from a northern industrial town, where he had been a respected elder in a small fundamentalist sect. But one night as he watched over a deacon lying on his death-bed, Silas fell into a trance. While he slept, his best friend had stolen into the room and taken the deacon's money bag; then, in a move to win the affections of Silas' sweetheart, he had blamed the theft on Silas. The weaver was "convicted" in the case by the drawing of lots; and even God found him guilty. His faith shattered and "his trust in man ... cruelly bruised," Silas had left his beloved home in Lantern Yard. The eccentric visionary now found himself a ]one alien in the prosperous village of Raveloe. Taking refuge in his work, Silas slowly began to accumulate gold. It became his one purpose in life, and every evening the near-sighted old man would count and caress his shiny coins. Still, Silas' life grew more and more empty: "He hated the thought of the past; there was nothing that called out his love and fellowship toward the strangers he had come amongst; and the future was dark, for there was "no Unseen Love that cared for him." Meanwhile, Squire Cass, the "greatest man in Raveloe," threw nightly parties and attended pubs by day. One of his sons, Dunstan, followed him in his drunken reveries. His other son, Godfrey, had a slightly better reputation, and it was presumed he would soon marry the lovely Nancy Lammeter. But Dunstan knew a secret about Godfrey, kept hidden from their harsh father: Godfrey was already married to Molly, a raucous tavern woman with whom he had shared a brief moment of passion. "Dunsey" continually manipulated his brother over this secret, demanding money to pay gambling debts. In fact, Godfrey finally even handed over to his brother the Squire's rent money. Then, with no other way left to reimburse their father, Godfrey let his brother take his own prize horse to be sold at a nearby fair. Dunstan was paid a good price for the horse, but while delivering it to its new owner he was diverted into joining a hunting party, where the animal was accidentally killed. Unfazed and drunken, Dunstan kept the payment. Then, taking a shortcut on his way home, he passed Silas Marner's cabin. Recalling rumors that the weaver kept a hoard of gold, Dunstan entered the empty cabin, uncovered the miser's money, and carted it off into the night. Silas returned home that night in anticipation of sitting down to the roasted meat provided by the neighbor-lady. But, as was his ritual, when he lifted the bricks to gloat over his cache of gold, he found that it was gone. Hysterically, he rushed off to the nearby Rainbow Pub to alert the authorities. For days the townsfolk debated the robbery. Some said that the Devil was the thief and that Silas' money was now in hell. Others blamed a ghost or a gypsy peddler. When Dunstan didn't arrive home from selling his brother's horse, no one was concerned. Dunstan had a reputation for sporadic disappearances. The only notable reaction to his absence was Squire Cass' rage after Godfrey confessed to the reasons behind the missing rent money. Over the weeks, village interest in Silas' problem died down, though the citizens still felt sorry for the withered and despondent recluse. A few neighbors - Dolly Winthrop and her little son, Aaron, in particular - invited Silas to church and sometimes prepared food for him. As Christmas came and went Godfrey remained in frustration and turmoil. His father prodded him to propose to Nancy Lammetcr. How Godfrey wished he could. Then, at Squire Cass' annual New Year's Eve party, Godfrey began to woo Nancy. Unbeknownst to him, however, his wife, Molly, was at that moment trudging through the snow towards the house, hand in hand with a ragged, golden-haired two-year-old girl. Seeking revenge, she intended to expose the marriage and force Godfrey to acknowledge their child. But fate intervened: before

Christianity Essays - Conceptions Of God, Philosophy Of Religion

Christianity Essays - Conceptions Of God, Philosophy Of Religion Christianity Christianity is a religion in which events are claimed to have occured but which can never be proved. Those who practice it live by different morals than are preached by the most holy texts. It is an institution in which the most holy scripture is contradictory, and wherein the supreme being, by the very definition, cannot exist. Christianity is, therefore, a fundamentally flawed religion. According to the Bible, events have occured which are even more miraculous than the resurection of Jesus Christ. Events such as the stopping of the sun by Joshua (Joshua 10:12-14), the reversal of the sun's course by Isaiah (Isaiah 38:7-8) , the resurrection of the saints, and their subsequent appearance to many (Matthew 27:52-53) were witnessed by thousands of people. The stopping and reversal of the sun would have been visible worldwide. The idea that people could have witnessed these events without having been amazed by them is, quite simply, ludicrous. Other cultures having witnessed this would certainly have offered their own explanations in keeping with their own cultural and religious beliefs. Surely a society existing at the time would have documented this miraculous event. Yet nowhere have such works been found. In the instance of the resurrection of the saints, Matthew is the only person to mention this occurence in the Bible. Surely other first-century Christians would have used this as further proof of Jesus' divinty. It would fall to reason that Paul and the gospels would have mentioned it. This is not, however, the case. Nowhere else in the Bible is this mentioned or even hinted at. These events are then, at best, highly unlikely to have occured. The fact that Matthew is alone in writing of the resurrection of the saints leads us to believe that certain writers of the Bible had differing views on christianity. The christian Bible is highly contradictory, not just to modern day christian beliefs, but in and of itself. Today's society is of the belief that all people are created equal, and Christians submit that their god is of the same belief. Modern Christians believe that their god loves everyone, and that they are all equal. However, after Adam and Eve had eaten from the tree forbidden by god, this deity said to Eve "I will intensify the pangs of your childbearing; in pain shall you bring forth children. Yet your urge shall be for your husband, and he shall be your master." (Genesis 3:16). This tells us that, according to the Christian religion, women shall naturally be dominated by men. This kind of behavior is not conducive to a being who believes in inherent equality. Women are repeadtedly treated as objects and told to be submissive in the Bible. "According to the rule observed in all the assemblies of believers, women should keep silent in such gatherings. Rather, as the law indicates, submissiveness is indicated for them. If they want to learn anything, they should ask their husbands at home. It is a disgrace when a woman speaks in the assembly." (1 Corinthians 14:34-35). "Man was not made from woman but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman but woman for man. For this reason, a woman ought to have a sign of submission on her head." (1 Corinthians 11:8-10). The Bible also permits bondage. "Slaves, male and female, you may indeed possess, provided you buy them from among neighboring the nations. You may also buy them from among the aliens who reside with you and from their children who are born and raised in their land. Such slaves you may own as chattels, and leave to your sons as their hereditary property, making them perpetual slaves." (Leviticus 25:44-46). This same Bible gives laws on the punishment of slaves. "When a man strikes his slave with a rod so hard that the slave dies under his hand, he shall be punished. If, however, the slave survives for a day or two, he is not to be punished, since the slave is his own property." (Exodus 21:20-21) We find further examples of prejudice in Deuteronomy. In the Bible, it is stated that "No one whose testicles have been crushed or whose penis has been cut off may

Case Briefs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case Briefs - Essay Example Gilson initiated an action against the Metropolitan Opera as well as the Lincoln Center for negligence and for violation of certain provisions of the City Building Code. Consequently, the trial court set aside the allegation against Lincoln Center, it being an out of possession lessor. On appeal, the Appellate Court reversed the ruling of the trial court which denied the Metropolitan opera's motion for summary judgment pronouncing that there were questions of fact "including, but not limited to whether defendant maintained the stairs aisles in dangerous manner thereby causing a dangerous condition which caused the plaintiff's accident." Whether or not the Metropolitan Opera House can be held liable for negligence for the injury sustained by Estelle Gilson, by allowing Donald Taitts to return to his seat after the performance had resumed without an escort or usher The Court pointed out that herein plaintiff Gilson did not asset a breach of any common law duty expected to the Opera House. The Court further elucidated that imposing a duty on the Opera House based on its house rules "would in effect, be punishing it for attempting to ensure an exceptional level of courtesy to the audience and the performers" which correspondingly will lead to a new and detailed standard of care for all theatrical venues. Similarly, the Court ruled that despite of the deficiency in the compliance with the City Building Code, the loss of balance and the fall of Mr. Taitts cannot be attributed to it. IT does not appear that it has been related to his inability to see his seat due to the inadequate lighting but it can be recognized as his difficulty in movement. Morgan Vertical Consultants, Inc. v. Arco Wentworth Mgmt. (2007 NY Slip Op 50554(U)) Supreme Court Queens County, New York. 2007 Facts: Plaintiff Morgan Vertical Consultants, Inc is a service provider for elevator maintenance and repair works, commences an action for the recovery of sum money for goods, labor and services among others pursuant to contracts with the sixteen cooperative which the defendant Arco Wentworth Mgmt. is the managing agent. It likewise includes allegation of unjust enrichment. Procedural History and Posture: Defendant Arco moves for a motion to dismiss the causes of action on the ground that there is no privity of contract between herein defendant Arco and Morgan. On the other hand, herein plaintiff alleges that herein defendant is estopped from asserting lack of privity of contract as an argument. Issues: 1. Is there a privity of contract between Morgan Vertical Consultants and Arco Wentworth Mgmt 2. Can Morgan interpose the defense of estoppel against Arco Decision: 1. The Court ruled in the negative. There is no privity of contract between the parties as evidenced by the separate contracts and the bills and invoices by Morgan Vertical Consultants. 2. The Court ruled in the negative. Plaintiff has failed to identify any representations or conduct of the defendant which caused the plaintiff to act to its detriments. Reasoning: The Court provides that obligations arising out of the contract are usually limited to the parties and only the parties to a contract are

Personal Philosophy of Meaning and Value Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Personal Philosophy of Meaning and Value - Essay Example My approach towards meaning and value is one of a significant one since I understand that everything happens for a reason and it is this meaning which is embedded within the reason that needs to be found out. What this will eventually do is to provide more rationale for things that will shape up in the future as well as provide me a sense of understanding for similar things that keep on happening around me at different times of the day. In this paper, I will outline what I consider as meaningful from life, from a strictly personal viewpoint and what I look for in life as far as my personal thinking and mindset are concerned. Also, I would check upon my personal life instances and my professional growth patterns and more so the same whilst now in the role of an IT project manager. I have devised a personal action plan that outlines the manner in which I have advocated my philosophy within the domains of this paper and this action plan aims to give an idea of what I think would be the right course of action as to go about doing things from an ethically correct professional sphere. I believe that we were put on this earth to bring some kind of glory or joy to the ‘One’ who put us here. Whether this is an all-powerful God, an uninvolved Creator or some sort of ‘alien’ life form I will not discuss here. Just suffice it to say that the same is some sort of a more powerful being which probably takes at least some interest in the actions of those that He has created or placed here on this Earth.

London Residential Property Market Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

London Residential Property Market - Assignment Example It affects almost our entire lives, from the quality of our lives, our health and well-being; it determines not only our choice of transportation means but also our choice of work, and status (Baker 2003). Housing also affects our economic wellbeing, family structure, choice of friends and status in the society. It is with no wonder that, Abraham Maslow classified it under basic need of shelter in his social pyramid. Most often, investors see valuation as the first step toward intelligent investing. It has been argued (e.g. Penman 2003) that an investor can make informed decisions about where to invest once the value of shares are determine based upon the fundamentals. This is so because, without this value investors can either buy high or sell low. Investors who trade on these stocks are often forced to ask themselves whether they are buying or selling at the right price. (Penman, 2003). In the face of this situation and their quest for an alternate answer, investors turn to various media including internet chat rooms, printed press, "talking heads" on television. ). In addition, investors consult investment analysts who provide an almost endless stream of information and recommendations to sort out. There are often claims that some shares are undervalued and vice versa. (Penman, 2003). Against this background, the aim of this paper is to carry out an analysis of the United Kingdom London residential markets so as to enable investors make informed decisions as to a buy, a hold or sell decision. The next section provides an overview of the London residential markets. 1.1.2 Overview of the London Residential Market Property prices in United States, the US began falling in 2005 making sub-prime mortgage loans more risky as the borrowers are normally expected to exercise their options to default. Consequently, the US subprime mortgage market is suffering from foreclosures arising from falling real estate prices and borrowers exercising their options to default. (Schumer and Maloney, 2007). Investment banks such as Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs and CitiGroup all fortune 500 companies have witnessed significant declines in profits, share prices and are planning to lay off workers as a result of the sub-prime crises. (Ellis, 2007). With regard to the United Kingdom UK particularly London, large empirical literature examined the determinants of the two booms experienced by home prices in the early 1970s and the 80s. Findings from these studies provide tentative evidence in support of the view that speculation on expected future house prices must have been an important force driving actual house prices (Muellbauer & Murphy 1997). Concerns over an ongoing house price bubble in the UK have been repeatedly raised by both the press and policy makers. Over the last thirty years, UK house prices have risen in real terms by around 2 % a year and according to HM Treasury (2003) report this stands in contrast to other European countries such as Sweden, France, and Germany where real house prices have decline or remain

Errors and strategies in language acquisition

Errors and strategies in language acquisition Error Correction Why Correction is Necessary Correction is necessary. The argument that students just need to use the language and the rest will come by itself seems rather weak. Students come to us to teach them. If they want only conversation, they will probably inform us or, they might just go to a chat room on the Internet. Obviously students need to be corrected as part of the learning experience. However, students also need to be encouraged to use the language. It is true that correcting students while they are trying their best to use the language can often discourage them. The most satisfactory solution of all is make correction an activity. Correction can be used as a follow-up to any given class activity. However, correction sessions can be used as a valid activity in and of themselves. In other words, teachers can set up an activity during which each mistake (or a specific type of mistake) will be corrected. Students know that the activity is going to focus on correction, and accept that fact. However, these activit ies should be kept in balance with other, more free-form, activities which give students the opportunity to express themselves without having to worry about being corrected every other word. It is to S.P. Corder that Error Analysis owes its place as a scientific method in linguistics. As Rod Ellis cites (p. 48), it was not until the 1970s that EA became a recognized part of applied linguistics, a development that owed much to the work of Corder. Before Corder, linguists observed learners errors, divided them into categories, tried to see which ones were common and which were not, but not much attention was drawn to their role in second language acquisition. It was Corder who showed to whom information about errors would be helpful (teachers, researchers, and students) and how. There are many major concepts introduced by S. P. Corder in his article The significance of learners errors, among which we encounter the following: It is the learner who determines what the input is. The teacher can present a linguistic form, but this is not necessarily the input, but simply what is available to be learned. Keeping the above point in mind, learners needs should be considered when teachers/linguists plan their syllabuses. Before Corders work, syllabuses were based on theories and not so much on learners needs. Mager (1962) points out that the learners built-in syllabus is more efficient than the teachers syllabus. Corder adds that if such a built-in syllabus exists, then learners errors would confirm its existence and would be systematic. Corder introduced the distinction between systematic and non-systematic errors. Unsystematic errors occur in ones native language; Corder calls these mistakes and states that they are not significant to the process of language learning. He keeps the term errors for the systematic ones, which occur in a second language. Errors are significant in three ways: to the teacher: they show a students progress to the researcher: they show how a language is acquired, what strategies the learner uses. to the learner: he can learn from these errors. When a learner has made an error, the most efficient way to teach him the correct form is not by simply giving it to him, but by letting him discover it and test different hypotheses. (This is derived from Carrolls proposal (Carroll 1955, cited in Corder), who suggested that the learner should find the correct linguistic form by searching for it. Many errors are due to that the learner uses structures from his native language. Corder claims that possession of ones native language is facilitative. Errors in this case are not inhibitory, but rather evidence of ones learning strategies. The above insights played a significant role in linguistic research, and in particular in the approach linguists took towards errors. Here are some of the areas that were influenced by Corders work: STUDIES OF LEARNER ERRORS Corder introduced the distinction between errors (in competence) and mistakes (in performance). This distinction directed the attention of researchers of SLA to competence errors and provided for a more concentrated framework. Thus, in the 1970s researchers started examining learners competence errors and tried to explain them. We find studies such as Richardss A non-contrastive approach to error analysis (1971), where he identifies sources of competence errors; L1 transfer results in interference errors; incorrect (incomplete or over-generalized) application of language rules results in intralingual errors; construction of faulty hypotheses in L2 results in developmental errors. Not all researchers have agreed with the above distinction, such as Dulay and Burt (1974) who proposed the following three categories of errors: developmental, interference and unique. Stenson (1974) proposed another category, that of induced errors, which result from incorrect instruction of the language. As most research methods, error analysis has weaknesses (such as in methodology), but these do not diminish its importance in SLA research; this is why linguists such as Taylor (1986) reminded researchers of its importance and suggested ways to overcome these weaknesses. As mentioned previously, Corder noted to whom (or in which areas) the study of errors would be significant: to teachers, to researchers and to learners. In addition to studies concentrating on error categorization and analysis, various studies concentrated on these three different areas. In other words, research was conducted not only in order to understand errors per se, but also in order to use what is learned from error analysis and apply it to improve language competence. Such studies include Kroll and Schafers Error-Analysis and the Teaching of Composition, where the authors demonstrate how error analysis can be used to improve writing skills. They analyze possible sources of error in non-native-English writers, and attempt to provide a process approach to writing where the error analysis can help achieve better writing skills. These studies, among many others, show that thanks to Corders work, researchers recognized the importance of errors in SLA and started to examine them in order to achieve a better understanding of SLA processes, i.e. of how learners acquire an L2. STUDIES OF L1 INFLUENCE ON SLA Various researchers have concentrated on those errors which demonstrate the influence of ones native language to second language acquisition. Before Corders work, interference errors were regarded as inhibitory; it was Corder who pointed out that they can be facilitative and provide information about ones learning strategies (point 7, listed above). Claude Hagà ¨ge (1999) is a supporter of this concept and he mentions it in his book The child between two languages, dedicated to childrens language education. According to Hagà ¨ge, interference between L1 and L2 is observed in children as well as in adults. In adults it is more obvious and increases continuously, as a monolingual person gets older and the structures of his first language get stronger and impose themselves more and more on any other language the adult wishes to learn. In contrast, as regards children, interference features will not become permanent unless the child does not have sufficient exposure to L2. If there is sufficient exposure, then instead of reaching a point where they can no longer be corrected (as often happens with phonetics features), interference features can be easily eliminated. Hagà ¨ge stresses that there is no reason for worry if interference persists more than expected. The teacher should know that a child that is in the process of acquiring a second language will subconsciously invent structures influenced by knowledge he already possesses. These hypotheses he forms may constitute errors. These errors, though, are completely natural; we should not expect the child to acquire L2 structures immediately (p. 81). In addition to studies of L1 transfer in general, there have been numerous studies for specific language pairs. Thanh Ha Nguyen (1995) conducted a case study to demonstrate first language transfer in Vietnamese learners of English. He examined a particular language form, namely oral competence in English past tense making. He tried to determine the role of L1 transfer in the acquisition of this English linguistic feature as a function of age, time of exposure to English, and place and purpose of learning English. The influence of L1 on L2 was also examined by Lakkis and Malak (2000) who concentrated on the transfer of Arabic prepositional knowledge to English (by Arab students). Both positive and negative transfer were examined in order to help teachers identify problematic areas for Arab students and help them understand where transfer should be encouraged or avoided. In particular, they concluded that an instructor of English, whose native language is Arabic, can use the students L1 for structures that use equivalent prepositions in both languages. On the other hand, whenever there are verbs or expressions in the L1 and L2 that have different structures, that take prepositions, or that have no equivalent in one of the languages, instructors should point out these differences to their students. Not only was L1 influence examined according to language pair, but according to the type of speech produced (written vs. oral). Hagà ¨ge (p. 33) discusses the influence of L1 on accent; he notes that the ear acts like a filter, and after a critical age (which Hagà ¨ge claims is 11 years), it only accepts sounds that belong to ones native language. Hagà ¨ge discusses L1 transfer in order to convince readers that there is indeed a critical age for language acquisition, and in particular the acquisition of a native-like accent. He uses the example of the French language, which includes complex vowel sounds, to demonstrate that after a critical age, the acquisition of these sounds is not possible; thus, learners of a foreign language will only use the sounds existing in their native language when producing L2 sounds, which may often obstruct communication. STUDIES OF CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK Corder elaborated on Carrolls work to show that the most efficient way to teach a student the correct linguistic form is to let him test various hypotheses and eventually find the right form (point 6, listed above). In these steps, Hagà ¨ge points out the importance of self correction (p. 82-83). According to Hagà ¨ge, it is useful to always perform an error analysis based on written tests administered by the teacher, but without informing the student of the purpose of the test. On that basis, self-correction is preferable to correction by the teacher, especially if the latter is done in a severe or intimidating way. Self correction is even more efficient when it is done with the help of childrens classmates. According to teachers, the younger the children, the greater the cooperation among them and the less aggressive or intimidating the corrections. Hagà ¨ge dedicates a section in his book to the importance of treating errors in a positive way. In this section, titled The teache r as a good listener, he notes that it is useless, if not harmful, to treat errors as if they were diseases or pathological situations which must be eliminated, especially if this treatment becomes discouraging, as occurs when teachers lose their patience because of childrens numerous errors. This, of course, does not mean that corrections should be avoided; after all it is the teachers duty to teach the rules of the L2. But the correction of every error as soon as it occurs is not recommended. The justification that Hagà ¨ge offers is the following: the linguistic message that the child tries to produce is a sequence of elements which are interdependent; immediate corrections which interrupt this message tend to produce negative consequences, even to the less sensitive children; such consequences include anxiety, fear of making an error, the development of avoidance strategies, reduced motivation for participation in the classroom, lack of interest for learning, reduced will for s elf correction, and lack of trust towards the teacher. Esser (1984, cited in Hagà ¨ge) also made a similar point: repetitive and immediate corrections, he noted, may cause sensitive children to develop aggressive behavior towards their classmates or teacher. Thus, Hagà ¨ge concludes, correction must not be applied by the teacher unless errors obstruct communication. This is the main criterion for error correction (i.e. obstruction of communication) presented by Hagà ¨ge; however there have been studies which examined such criteria in greater detail, such as Freiermuths L2 Error Correction: Criteria and Techniques (1997). Freiermuth accepts Corders view (point 6) and proposes criteria for error correction in the classroom. These criteria are: exposure, seriousness, and students needs. In the case of exposure, Freiermuth claims that when a child creates language (for example, when he tries to express an idea by using a linguistic form he has not yet acquired), he will most likely make errors; correcting these errors will be ineffective because the learner is not aware of them. Thus, error correction would result in the acquisition of the correct form only if the learner has been previously exposed to that particular language form. As regards the seriousness criterion, Freiermuth claims that the teacher must determine the gravity of an error before deciding whether he should correct it or not. Here Freiermuth sets a criterion which agrees with that of Hagà ¨ges: the error, he states, must impede communication before it should be considered an error that necessitates correction. But what constitutes a serious error? Which errors are those which should not be corrected? As an examples of non-serious errors, Freiermuth mentions those errors which occur due to learners nervousness in the classroom, due to their stress or the pressure of having to produce accurately a linguistic form in the L2. These errors can occur even with familiar structures; in that case, they are not of serious nature and are similar to what Corder called mistakes. Here again we see Corders influence in error analysis, and in particular in the distinction between errors and mistakes. Freiermuth goes on to suggest a hierarchy of errors (accor ding to seriousness) to help teachers decide which errors should be corrected: Errors that significantly impair communication [are] at the top of the list, followed by errors that occur frequently, errors that reflect misunderstanding or incomplete acquisition of the current classroom focus, and errors that have a highly stigmatizing effect on the listeners. He also clarifies what can cause stigmatization: profound pronunciation errors, or errors of familiar forms. Another important criterion that must be considered by the teacher is individual students needs. The importance of this factor is mentioned in Corder, who in turn notes that this idea had been suggested previously by Carroll (1955, cited in Corder 1967) and Ferguson (1966, cited in Corder 1967). Each student is different and thus may react differently to error correction. We infer from Freiermuths claim that the teacher must perform two main tasks: first, assess some specific character traits of students, such as self-confidence and language acquisition capability. Freiermuth agrees with Walz (1982, cited in Freiermuth) that self-confident, capable students can profit from even minor corrections, while struggling students should receive correction only on major errors. This claim agrees with Esser and Hagà ¨ges claim that repetitive corrections are likely to decrease motivation; it is reasonable to accept that students who lack self-confidence will be stigmatized to a greater degree than confident students. The teachers second task, according to Freiermuth, is to listen to learners L2 utterances in order to determine where errors occur (i.e. which linguistic forms cause students difficulties), their frequency, and their gravity (according to the severity criteria mentioned above). Then the teacher can combine the outcome of these tasks and decide on correction techniques for individual students. A different approach to error correction was suggested by Porte (1993), who stressed the importance of self-correction. Porte refers to Corders distinction of errors and mistakes and points out that many students do not know the difference. It is important, Porte notes, that students know how to identify an error in order to avoid it in the future. She agrees with Corder that it is more efficient for learners to correct themselves than be corrected by the teacher, and goes on to suggest a four-step approach for self-correction. This approach consists of questions that the teacher provides to students. After writing an essay, students should read it four times, each time trying to answer the questions included in each of the four steps. Thus, in each re-reading task (each step) they concentrate on a different aspect of their essay. In brief, the first task asks them to highlight the verbs and check the tenses; in the second task students concentrate on prepositions; the third task req uires them to concentrate on nouns (spelling, agreement between subject and verb); finally in the fourth task students should try to correct potential personal mistakes. Porte also offers some clarification of what is meant by personal mistakes, in order to help the students identify them. The studies mentioned above are only a few examples that demonstrate how S. Pit Corders work influenced the area of error analysis in linguistics. The concepts that Corder introduced directed researchers attention to specific areas of error analysis; they helped linguists realize that although errors sometimes obstruct communication, they can often facilitate second language acquisition; also they played a significant role in training teachers and helping them identify and classify students errors, as well as helping them construct correction techniques. REFERENCES Corder, S. P. 1967. The significance of learners errors. International Review of Applied Linguistics 5: 161-9. Dulay, H., and Burt, M., Errors and strategies in child second language acquisition, TESOL Quarterly 8: 129-136, 1974. Ellis, R., The Study of Second Language Acquisition, Oxford University Press, 1994. Esser, U., Fremdsprachenpsychologische Betrachtungen zur Fehlerproblematic im Fremdsprachenunterricht, Deutsch als Fremdsprache, 4:151-159, 1984, (cited in Hagà ¨ge 1999). Freiermuth, M. R., L2 Error Correction: Criteria and Techniques, The Language Teacher Online 22.06, http://langue.hyper.chubu.ac.jp/jalt/pub/tlt/97/sep/freiermuth.html, 1997. Hagà ¨ge, C. Lenfant aux deux langues (The child between two languages), Greek translation, Polis editions, Athens 1999. (Original publication: Editions Odile Jacob, 1996). Kroll, Barry, and John C. Schafer. Error-Analysis and the Teaching of Composition, College Composition and Communication 29: 242-248, 1978 Lakkis, K. and Malak, M. A.. Understanding the Transfer of Prepositions. FORUM, Vol 38, No 3, July-September 2000. (Online edition: http://exchanges.state.gov/forum/vols/vol38/no3/p26.htm) Mager, R.F. Preparing Instructional Objectives, Fearon Publishers, Palo Alto, CA 1962. Nguyen, Thanh Ha. First Language Transfer and Vietnamese Learners Oral Competence in English Past Tense Marking: A Case Study., Master of Education (TESOL) Research Essay, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia1995. Porte, G. K., Mistakes, Errors, and Blank Checks, FORUM, Vol 31, No 2, p. 42, January-March 1993. (Online edition: http://exchanges.state.gov/forum/vols/vol31/no1/p42.htm) Richards, J., A non-contrastive approach to error analysis, English Language Teaching 25: 204-219, 1971. Stenson, N. Induced errors in Shumann and Stenson (eds.), 1974, cited in Ellis (p. 60). Taylor G., Errors and explanations, Applied Linguistics 7: 144-166, 1986.

Ones world view of Education and Learning Essay examples -- Beliefs At

Using the concept of a ‘world view’, identify some of the beliefs and attitudes, particularly to education and learning, that you bring to your learning now. Reflect critically on how your world view has been shaped by factors such as your gender, age or community. Individuals see the world in unique and varied ways. Factors such as educational experiences, ways of knowing, personal responsibility and family structure have influenced my beliefs and attitudes. A world view results from the process through which knowledge and understanding is obtained. Furthermore, my experiences of being a young woman in rural society has helped to shape my world view. A world view can be defined as â€Å"an inside view of the way things are colored, shaped, and arranged according to personal cultural preconceptions† (Samovar & Porter, 2004:103). This argument demonstrates that a world view is internal, yet influenced by external factors. This especially relates to formal education, whereby the school system, and the teacher in particular, are the significant external factors which directly influence a persons way of knowing, and therefore, their world view. My educational experiences have shaped my world view, as well as my beliefs and attitudes. I have experienced both the public and private school systems. It has been my experience in the private schooling system that knowledge is a badge of honour, attached to the person. This attachment taught me that I own my own knowledge. It a...

Applied Research Case Study Essay

Global Innovation’s Challenges On June 5, 2006, Peter Vyas paced his office as he grappled with a request for $2 million to relaunch a mini water-oxidation product. Despite two failures to bring this product to market over the past three years, his team was confident this latest iteration was a winner. For Vyas, general manager of the Filtration Unit of Applied Research Technologies (ART), the request presented a major challenge. He recognized that his team had worked tirelessly to make this project a reality and strongly believed they were now headed in the right direction. But he also understood that the Filtration Unit’s track record of failure during this product’s development had hurt its credibility. If he supported the proposal, he knew he would be putting on the line not only his own personal credibility but also that of the entire unit. Due to the project’s size, final approval would be made by Vyas’s boss, Cynthia Jackson—the newly appointed vice president of ARTâ€℠¢s Water Management Division. Jackson was acutely aware of the mounting losses in the Filtration Unit, and she had already devoted a significant amount of time trying to get them back on track. She had confided to one of her colleagues: When I took on this assignment, I was told my first task was to â€Å"fix† the Filtration Unit. The unit only had one revenue-generating product line and had failed to bring a profitable new product to market in five years. It was clear that I was expected to either turn it around or shut it down. I’m trying to protect them and ensure they get support, but my initial feeling is if they are to survive, they must become much more disciplined. They seem to be making progress on that front, but in all honesty, I sometimes wonder if it is time to cut our losses and initiate a harvest strategy for the unit. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ HBS Professor Christopher A. Bartlett and Heather Beckham prepared this case solely as a basis for class discussion and not as an endorsement, a source of primary data, or an illustration of effective or ineffective management. This case, though based on real events, is fictionalized, and any resemblance to actual persons or entities is coincidental. There are occasional references to actual companies in the narration. Copyright  © 2010 Harvard Business School Publishing. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call 1-800-545-7685, write Harvard Business Publishing, Boston, MA 02163, or go to http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of Harvard Business Publishing. Harvard Business Publishing is an affiliate of Harvard Business School. ART was one of the technology world’s emerging giants. The company had grown through the merger and acquisition of numerous technology-based industrial companies, acquired in the LBO buyout waves of the 1980s and 1990s. By 2006, ART consisted of a portfolio of about 60 business units, each of which operated as a profit center. Total corporate revenue was $11 billion in 2006.1 Major divisions in the corporation included Healthcare (medical diagnostic equipment), Industrial Automation (robotics), Energy (extraction, conversion, and transportation solutions for the oil and gas industry—–including the Water Management Division), and HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning, including climate control solutions for residential, commercial, and industrial markets). Exhibit 1 shows the organization structure of the company. The company’s success had been built on its innovative and entrepreneurial culture, coupled with a decentralized management philosophy. ART’s vision statement, proudly displayed in almost every office and cubicle, stated: ‘‘We aim to change the world through innovation, and to grow our place in it through entrepreneurship.† Culture and Practices ART was dedicated to supporting innovation not only with funding (the company’s R&D spending was double the rate for U.S. industrial companies), but also in its practices, several of which were deeply embedded in the company’s culture. ART encouraged employees to spend a half day each week ‘‘experimenting, brainstorming, and thinking outside the box.’’ It was a practice that the company’s visionary founder and current CEO, David Hall, referred to as ‘‘tinker time.’’ He explained the concept: Innovation and entrepreneurship are the twin engines driving this company. It’s the reason we’ve ingrained â€Å"tinker time† in our culture†¦I expect all our managers, and particularly those on the front line, to create, promote, and back promising ideas. But we understand that when you go for the big leap, you won’t always clear the bar. So there is no shame in failure when you are stretching for big objectives. Around here we routinely celebrate what we call â€Å"worthy attempts†Ã¢â‚¬â€œ even when they are unsuccessful. Knowledge sharing and dissemination was another key part of ART’s business philosophy, and despite the high level of decentralization and profit accountability, technology and human capital were both widely shared among divisions. For example, experts in one division routinely served as advisors on project committees for other divisions, and it was not uncommon for employees to go ‘‘on loan’’ to help another unit with a promising product idea or technology. The company also moved quickly to bring products to market. If an idea showed promise, funding was usually available for small ‘‘beta batch’’ productions, which often allowed market testing to achieve what was called ‘‘proof of concept’’ within ART. Once an innovation was proven, significant investment was quickly put behind it. Objectives and Priorities To infuse discipline into its decentralized organization, ART’s top management set highly aggressive performance objectives and tied executive compensation tightly to them. In 2006, as in 1 Of that total, Water Management Division sales were $560 million and Filtration Unit sales were $38 million  any other year, each division was expected to deliver sales growth of 10%, pretax margins of 15%, and return on invested capital of 20%, referred to as the ‘‘10/15/20 Target.’’ The belief that innovative products were the source of the company’s ongoing competitive advantage was reflected in a companywide metric requiring 30% of each division’s total sales come from products developed in the last four years.2 Hall also continually emphasized that to be competitive, ART had to shorten the life cycle between a new technology’s conception and its commercialization. In response, the company had introduced the ‘‘Fast Track Pipeline,’’ a program that focused on the highest priority projects by providing them with additional resources and management attention. ART currently had 67 such projects in the pipeline, six in the Water Division, but none in the Filtration Unit. (The mini oxidation unit had not been identified as a ‘‘Fast Track’’ project). In the late 1990s, Hall began pushing to grow ART’s global presence. â€Å"It’s important not just to expand our market access, but also to broaden our talent access,† he insisted. ‘‘Innovation and entrepreneurship know no national boundaries.† In the quest to meet this challenge ‘‘to attract the best and the brightest wherever they live,â€⠄¢Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ in 2000, the corporate R&D group opened the India Technical Center (ITC)—–a substantial operation that Hall hoped would become a model for  other R&D centers he planned to open up around the globe. The Filtration Business Unit The Filtration Unit was part of a business ART acquired from an oil and gas services company in 1996. Its core product line was in mobile water treatment that allowed oil and gas exploration companies to meet government water recycling requirements at well heads and drilling sites. These products were still the unit’s core line, but in the late 1990s, new competition from Chinese manufacturers had led to a commoditization of the business and an erosion of margins. ART’s newly acquired filtration business had tried to develop the next generation of products and technologies, but after two high-profile new product failures, the unit had lost confidence. By 2006, it was losing about $6 million annually. New Management, New Energy In a promotion from his role as a lab manager in the HVAC Division, the 32-year-old Vyas had assumed the role of business manager for the Filtration Unit in June 2001. He immediately confronted the unit’s twin organizational problems of low morale and growing turnover, and in his first year, rebuilt the team by carefully selecting entrepreneurial-minded individuals to fill the vacancies left by turnover in the unit. One of his key recruits was Janice Wagner, whom he knew from her five years as a marketing manager in the HVAC Division. She was excited to join a unit that had an opportunity to develop a new business from scratch. Convinced that survival depended on innovative growth, Vyas appointed a technology evaluation team early in his tenure, charging them with the responsibility to focus on technologies with the potential to turn the unit around. In one of his first reviews with that team, Vyas learned that for almost a year, the filtration unit had been working with ITC technicians on an exciting new technology the young Indian team had developed based on a license obtained from a Delhi-based start-up company. Developed as a potential solution to the widespread Third World problem of obtaining clean water in remote regions, this small-scale oxidation system was thought to have 2 Hall had recently increased this target from 25% of each unit’s sales from products developed in the last five years.  application in many less-developed markets. But in an effort to cut costs, the filtration unit’s previous management had decided to abandon the collaboration a year earlier. After reviewing the technology, Vyas became convinced that this had been a mistake and encouraged his evaluation team to pursue the project. Working closely with the ITC technologists, the team concluded that the oxidation technology was the most promising opportunity in their portfolio, and recommended developing a small-scale oxidation system that enabled waste-water disinfection in small batches. ‘‘We were so excited by that decision,† said Div Verma, the ITC technologist in charge of the project. ‘‘We believe this project can make a huge difference to the lives of millions.† Motivated by the support they received, the ITC technicians devel oped a promising initial design. Without bulky equipment (the equipment was a 26-inch cube) or an electrical power source (it utilized battery power), this small system could transform waste water into potable water without chemicals in minutes. A single unit had the capacity to process approximately 2,000 liters of contaminated water per day. With pride, they took their design to Vyas. But Vyas wanted to understand the business opportunity and asked Wagner to prepare a brief overview. Wagner learned that only about 2.5% of the world’s water was fresh, and most of that was frozen. Population growth, industrial development, and agricultural expansion were all putting pressure on fresh-water supplies in both developed and developing countries. Indeed, the World Resources Institute found that demand for water was growing at twice the rate of the population. As a result, the World Health Organization estimated that over 1.1 billion people lacked access to clean water, and that 2. 4 billion lacked access to  basic sanitation. The research also revealed that waterborne diseases accounted for 80% of infections in the developing world, and in 2002, 3.1 million deaths occurred (90% children) as a result of diarrheal diseases and malaria. As countries such as India and China industrialized, they used more fresh water and added more pollution to existing water sources. Wagner concluded that the scarcity of clean water was reaching crisis levels in developing nations, and that the mini-oxidation system could help avert some of the catastrophic effects. But she also reported comparable R&D efforts also underway in the government and private sectors in China and Europe, and that several companies in the United States and Canada were researching the technology. Nevertheless, her analysis suggested the ITC team’s product was further along and probably superior to anything else in the space. New Opportunities, New Initiatives Vyas decided to pursue the project and convinced the VP of Corporate R&D who had ITC oversight to allow the three ITC technologists working on it to become members of his technical team—–a move that would allow them to focus on developing commercial designs for the oxidation technology. Simultaneously, he asked Wagner to do a first-cut market assessment to identify potential opportunities for the technology. Over the next few weeks, through focus groups and interviews with potential customers, she uncovered several promising applications. (See Exhibit 2). But while the market research was exciting, progress in bringing a product to market proved to be slow and difficult. From January 2003 to February 2006, the technology team coordinated with separate manufacturing and marketing teams located in the United States to work through two complete cycles of product development, beta batch productions, and test marketing of two different versions of the mini-oxidation system. Both failed due to what were subsequently revealed to be defects in the design and lack of interest in the marketplace. The first-generation product was aimed at the application for which the technology was originally developed—–to provide developing nations with safe drinking water. Largely supported by foreign aid, the mini-oxidation system was field-tested by representatives from funding agencies. Unfortunately, the output water had a detectable odor which the funders found unacceptable. Despite assurances that ITC technicians could fix the problem, the trials failed to convert into orders. The team decided to refocus a second-generation product on specialized applications in Western countries where funding was more available. The plan was to develop a slightly modified version of the product and aim it at a potential market for military use and NGO disaster relief activities that Wagner had identified in her initial analysis. This decision was enormously disappointing to the Indian technologists who had developed the initial prototypes, and Vyas had to work hard to keep them on board . The second-generation product fixed the odor problem, but field trials showed that the solution caused the unit to consume too much power, requiring frequent battery replacement. Once again, no orders were forthcoming. While these trials were occurring, the filtration unit’s small R&D team in the United States persuaded Vyas to allow them to work with corporate R&D on an entirely new version of the product that would utilize ultrasound waves for water disinfection. High frequency vibrations were shown to control the growth of algae, organic waste, and bacteria such as E. coli. Market applications for this technology included treatment for clean water storage receptacles, public/private ponds, fish tanks, and ballast water. However, in 2006 this technology was still in the earliest stages of research and testing. New Oversight, New Discipline In January 2006, just as Vyas and the rest of the mini-oxidation team were launching their secondgeneration system, Cynthia Jackson was appointed vice president of the Water Management Division. Jackson’s attention was soon drawn to the troubled Filtration Unit which she felt needed to put much more rigor into the planning and analysis that supported their product development activities. According to Jackson: Peter Vyas seems to be an excellent talent manager. He was able to recruit and retain good people to his unit, and then build them into highly motivated teams on two different continents. He’s also shown himself to be an outstanding advocate for the group’s ideas -skilled at managing upward, gaining support, and running interference so his team can concentrate on the task at hand. And I’m aware that the company has high hopes for the Filtration Unit, but the results just are not there. In my view, the unit lacks discipline. They had a promising technology that was in search of a market, but had not done the work to nail down either. In the first meeting I had with them I explained that they would be developing any future proposals using a rigorous three-phase process linking market analysis and technological development to business planning. In her first meeting with Vyas, Jackson also made it clear that the unit’s continued existence was in jeopardy if they did not turn things around. Mini-Oxidation’s Third Launch Attempt To coordinate the third launch of the mini-oxidation system, Vyas assembled a single six-person development team with representatives from various functions located in the United States and India. Because Janice Wagner had demonstrated strong project management skills, Vyas named her  as the team leader. (Exhibit 3 details committee membership.) From the outset, the team was highly committed to the product and worked tirelessly  to complete Jackson’s three-phase process. Phase 1: General Product Concept and Market Analysis Wagner took the lead in preparing the Phase 1 requirement ‘‘to develop a general product concept supported by market research.’’ Having learned that the unit lacked the expertise to sell to developing markets, governments, and NGOs, she decided to focus additional research on U.S. data that seemed to indicate strong potential for a residential water purification system. She also decided to see if opportunities might exist in domestic agricultural applications. According to the Palmer Drought Index from April of 2006, 26% of the United States was considered in moderate to extreme drought conditions, and Wagner’s research showed that low rainfall, high wind, and rapid population growth in the Western and Southeastern regions of the country caused a major water scarcity problem for these areas. The resulting government-imposed water restrictions often led to severe limitations or outright bans of water used in residential landscape irrigation. Because re-use of waste water would serve conservation efforts while preserving residential landscaping, Wagner felt that the mini-oxidation system offered a perfect solution for the needs of homeowners in these drought-stricken areas. In addition, since the product would be used for irrigation and not for drinking water, the disinfection quality could be lowered and energy consumption would therefore be reduced compared to past product iterations. Wagner’s research on the U.S. water industry indicated that the domestic water-treatment equipment market generated sales of over $9 billion. (Exhibit 4 provides selected data from the research.) Residential water treatment products ranged from water filters that reduced sediment, rust, and chlorine odor (average retail price $50) to systems that provided more comprehensive household water purification (retail price $1,500 to $3,000). The research also showed that in-ground sprinkler systems cost between $1,800 and $4,000, and after conducting some industry interviews and focus groups, Wagner felt this was a good barometer of what a homeowner was willing to pay for a lush, green lawn. After discussing the product concept with the development committee members, the team decided to recommend a retail price of $2,000 ($1,000 wholesale price) for a residential irrigation mini-oxidation system (RIMOS) capable of supporting a 10,000 square-foot lawn. Pricing for an agricultural irrigation large oxidation system (AILOS) would be significantly less on a per-acre basis, with details to be developed only after further research had been done. Wagner and Vyas compiled the data and product concept information in a formal proposal for Jackson to approve. Jackson responded to the team’s Phase 1 proposal with a flurry of questions and challenges. She highlighted the sparseness of concrete market numbers and their lack of data on target markets. And when the team floated the idea of designing a larger-scale agricultural version of the system, she asked them to think about whether that would stretch resources too thin. With the whole company under pressure to trim budgets, J ackson asked the team to consider reducing the project’s costs by eliminating either the RIMOS or AILOS product. After some discussion, Vyas and his team agreed to focus future product development and marketing efforts on the RIMOS product for the U.S. market. Phase 2: Technical Specifications and Prototype Having won the approval of Phase 1, the team was now ready to begin the second phase of Jackson’s product development process. This involved designing actual product specifications and determining how to do this within the $1,000 wholesale price point that the group had determined was appropriate. A working prototype was also to be created as part of this phase. The team relied heavily on ITC expertise to adapt the existing product originally designed to provide potable water in remote locations, to one capable of processing wastewater for lawn irrigation. During this phase, several misunderstandings surfaced between team members in the United States and India. For example, Wagner became concerned when the Indian team  repeatedly missed design deadlines she had requested. When she confronted Div Verma, the lab leader responsible for the project, he responded tersely: Peter told us he wanted the new design to be flawless. I take that as my number one priority. We can’t meet this deliverable without proper testing. Why is everything so rushed with you? If we don’t have a perfect design, then we run the risk of failing a third time and that is not acceptable. My team will not provide designs for a prototype until we are sure that all the bugs have been worked out. We don’t want to be involved in another failure. Emphasizing the mandate to move quickly while ensuring product quality, Vyas mediated the disagreement by crafting a compromise that gave the Indian technical team a formal schedule allowing them two weeks of extra testing time. ‘‘I felt there was a mix of disappointment and pride that had to be dealt with,† said Vias. ‘‘I also told Div that this third generation product would give us the credibility to return to the developing world project.† Once the prototype was finished, the final designs and specs were again submitted for review. Jackson was impressed by the attention to detail in this latest iteration, but wanted to ensure that the team was fully utilizing the internal expertise available at ART. With Jackson’s help, Vyas tapped engineers and manufacturing managers from the HVAC and Healthcare Divisions who had expertise his team was lacking. He invited them to join his development team, and they quickly became deeply engaged in the project. They identified several design changes and production specifications that increased efficiency and lowered manufacturing costs. Phase 3: Business Plan The development of the business plan was the most difficult phase for Vyas and his team. They were unaccustomed to creating complex sales forecast models and cost estimates. But eventually they developed a detailed product concept, marketing approach, and manufacturing strategy for RIMOS, as well as sales forecasts, cost projections, and expense estimates. They also acknowledged that they still believed there was a significant market in water treatment for the developing world and in emergency relief work, but  these future options had not been included in the current forecasts or business plan. They hoped to explore these with the help of the Oil and Gas Division which had excellent international contacts. Jackson challenged the team’s pro forma financials which she felt lacked the data to support their assumptions. She asked the team to perform additional due diligence and to justify their assumptions. She also pushed back on the projected sales assumptions and suggested that the pro forma financials needed to be stress-tested. But after testing the analysis, Wagner felt her research was sound and was adamant about the size of the opportunity and their ability to capture the market. Vyas stood by Wagner and also defended the financial data which he felt had been carefully developed by the manufacturing and technology experts. Exhibit 5 summarizes the team’s sales and operating margin forecasts. The team acknowledged that its assumptions relied on the ability to gain access to the HVAC Group’s Residential Market Division. As Wagner pointed out, ART’s norms encouraged them to take advantage of these types of synergies, and they had good contacts in the division. However, the HVAC Residential Market Division’s senior executives had full discretion regarding the products distributed through its channels, and they had not yet made a formal decision about  Jackson also expressed her concerns with the $2,000 retail price point and pushed Vyas to clearly identify the risks associated with the plan. After further consideration, the team developed a risk assessment and response matrix, which they included in the business plan (Exhibit 6). The business plan revealed the need for $2 million in funding for beta batch production of RIMOS and the marketing budget to support its distribution and promotion. Toward a Decision: Go or No Go? An hour after receiving the investment proposal from his team, Vyas was still pacing back and forth trying to decide whether to support or reject their request for the $2 million in funding for RIMOS. He knew his development team was absolutely convinced it could succeed, but he also realized that the unit’s existence and even his own career were being openly questioned. Two floors above Vyas’s office, Jackson was also contemplating the RIMOS project. Having heard through the company grapevine that a funding request had been submitted to Vyas, she began to think about how she would handle the request if it was sent up to her. She had heard rumblings from other managers in her division that the Filtration Unit was a drain on division resources and that it was time to pull the plug on any additional funding. As a newly promoted division VP, Jackson understood that her actions would be closely watched. She wanted to make sure she did not drop the ball. Exhibit 1 ART Organization with Filtration Unit Detail Finance Engineering Legal R&D HR David Hall CEO Healthcare Executive VP Energy 3 divisions 17 business units 2 divisions 13 business units Power Generation Oil/Gas Extraction 4 business units 2 direct reports T. Smith Administration Cynthia Jackson VP Water Management Division 5 business units 3 other business units B. Brady R&D USA Industrial Automation W. Steilow Plant Superintendent 5 direct reports 40 plant personnel HVAC 3 divisions 14 business units Power Distribution 3 business units Peter Vyas Manager Filtration Unit J. Wagner Sales and Marketing 2 direct reports B. Wang Production Control P. Gupta Indian Technical Center Team 2 direct reports 3 direct reports Exhibit 2 Wagner’s List of Potential Markets Developing Nations †¢ Provide potable water solutions for areas with unsafe drinking water U.S. Residential †¢ Landscape irrigation †¢ Pools †¢ In-house water recirculation for non-drinking purposes (e.g., laundry, dishwashers, etc.) U.S. Commercial †¢ Restaurants †¢ Grocery stores †¢ Laundromats †¢ Linen/Uniform companies †¢ Farms †¢ Landscape irrigation U.S. and Overseas Emergency Units †¢ Disaster relief †¢ Military Exhibit 3 ART Mini Water Oxidation System—–Development Committee Team Structure New Product Introduction Team Members D. Verma R. Patel B. Wang H. Lewis J. Wagner T. Smith C. Corteza G. Steinberga Laboratory Leader—–Indian Technical Center Product Development—–Indian Technical Center Manufacturing Quality Assurance Marketing (TEAM LEADER) Project Administration HVAC Division Representative Healthcare Division Representative a Member from another unit of ART added in Phase 2 Exhibit 4 Market Research: Summary Data The U.S. Water Industry (Revenues in millions)a Water Treatment Equipment Delivery Equipment Chemicals Contract Operations Consulting/Engineering Maintenance Services Instruments and Testing Wastewater Utilities Drinking Water Utilities Total U.S. Water Industry $9,110 $11,660 $4,020 $2,350 $7,460 $1,780 $1,400 $34,130 $35,070 $106,980 s U.S. Residences (2000 Census) Total Housing Units Single-Family Detached Homes 116 million 70 million Drought Indicators (Palmer Drought Index 4/10/2006) % of the continuous U.S. in severe to extreme drought % of the continuous U.S. in moderate to extreme drought 13% 26% NOTE: Mini-Oxidation Systems are a â€Å"new-to-the-world† product with unknown market potential. a Source: Adapted from the Environmental Business Journal, 2006 Exhibit 5 Summary Sales and Profit Forecast for RIMOS 2007 Forecast Sales ( $ millions) Forecast Operating Income (%) Exhibit 6 2008 2009 2010 2011 $ 5.45 10% $ 7.08 15% $ 8.86 20% $ 10.89 20% $ 13.07 20% Summary Risk Analysis and Risk Mitigation for RIMOS Risk Level Plan May not gain market acceptance High – Ensure HVAC distribution support Highlight ART name Supplement marketing budget for product launch Product design flaws Medium – Monitor beta batch closely Price point too high Medium – Quantify customer savings from increased water efficiency Provide sales training to distributors Emerging competition Low – Get to market first Leverage ART global presence, technical support, supplier relationships, and distribution network

The Main Types of Chemical Bonds

The Main Types of Chemical Bonds Atoms are the basic building blocks of all types of matter. Atoms link to other atoms through chemicals bonds resulting from the strong attractive forces that exist between the atoms. A chemical bond is a region that forms when electrons from different atoms interact with each other. The electrons that participate in chemical bonds are the valence electrons, which are the electrons found in an atoms outermost shell. When two atoms approach each other these outer electrons interact. Electrons repel each other, yet they are attracted to the protons within atoms. The interplay of forces results in some atoms forming bonds with each other and sticking together. Main Types of Chemical Bonds The two main types of bonds formed between atoms are ionic bonds and covalent bonds. An ionic bond is formed when one atom accepts or donates one or more of its valence electrons to another atom. A covalent bond is formed when atoms share valence electrons. The atoms do not always share the electrons equally, so a polar covalent bond may be the result. When electrons are shared by two metallic atoms a metallic bond may be formed. In a covalent bond, electrons are shared between two atoms. The electrons that participate in metallic bonds may be shared between any of the metal atoms in the region. Predict Type of Chemical Bond Based on Electronegativity If the electronegativity values of two atoms are similar: Metallic bonds form between two metal atoms.Covalent bonds form between two non-metal atoms. Nonpolar covalent bonds form when the electronegativity values are very similar, while polar covalent bonds form when the electronegativity values are a little further apart. If the electronegativity values of two atoms are different, ionic bonds are formed.

A Glorious Adventure essays

A Glorious Adventure essays In the article A Glorious Adventure, the author Patricia Schofler explicates the passion seen in Winifred Sweets journalism. Schofler writes about Winifred Sweets struggle and triumph to become one of the leading ladies of journalism. The author tells of her small beginnings that lead to an inevitable huge influence of the journalism world today. The author explores Sweets humble beginnings as a writer only focused on flower shows, to intriguing political articles that lead to major impacts. The author tries to portray a positive outlook on a true heroine Patricia Schofler clearly has a deep interest in Winifred Sweets influence on journalism. The authors interest in Winifred Sweet is represented all throughout the article. The author exhibits this by her positive views. Schofler describes Sweets writing vivid enthusiasm, the same drive, instincts, and ability to dissect the heart in an era of sensuous and impassioned journalism...(A,35). Schofler further presents this by writing She was shrewd, talented, and audacious, qualities indispensable in the age of yellow journalism (A,30). Schoflers interest towards Sweet submits a positive view to her readers. This in turn reflects Schoflers biased outlook towards Sweet. A Glorious Adventure, mentions very positive effects of Sweets writings. This was shown when she inspired the citys school children to raise money for a hospital wing for incurables (C,32). It is evident that the author does not express anything negative about Winifred Sweet. Seldom, Schofler mentions her two failed marriages and deaths of her children, but they dont Patricia Schoflers writing takes the reader to different aspects of ...

Marketing Questions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marketing Questions - Research Paper Example The universal emotions of welcoming them will allow them to gain my trust, therefore work on understanding my points or point of view, as I also do the same. Secondly, I will need to slow down my speech and expressions when explaining about the commodity, so that they do not mix-up everything, which they can amplify their fear of investing in the product (Lilley, 2013). Additionally, I may need to demonstrate my points using pictures or showing the product; ask for a person that can understand their language or culture better; try to confirm that they understood my explanations, exercise patience and maintain a sense of humor, so as to ensure that they remain interested. In dealing with older customers, I would ensure that I show respect to them, because that would be the first quality they may expect from a young attendant. Secondly, I would need to be kind and to show empathy for their incapacities in the case they have any. More importantly, I would need to adjust to their tempo of speech, so that they can understand me well and connect with me (Lilley, 2013). Additionally, showing them cheer will help them feel comfortable in my company, which will affect their buying behavior. In dealing with very talkative customers, first I will need to direct the talk in the direction of the sale, and immediately they pause their talk, I give them a summary of the talk and then I switch to the product and all its benefits. Apart from the explanation, a sample would help, and then I ask him to check it out a little (Lilley, 2013). After he has talked about it for a while, I will have all the information on his needs, therefore will mention them repeatedly, so that they purchase it. 2. Many employees are motivated by getting more money, in the form of bonuses or raises, but it is not always possible to increase the pay of employees – as a way of motivating them. This is particularly the case, due to the adverse financial situation facing many companies and institutions (Dow, 2012). However, money is not the strongest and not the only source of motivation. Recognition, which is the practice of congratulating an employee or acknowledging their input and good performance, empowers them by making them feel happier about themselves and their performance, which triggers improved performance. Recognition lies at the subconscious desires of all individuals; making them feel appreciated and valued for their contribution as an employee and for their uniqueness as a people who make a difference triggers their suppressed abilities (Dow, 2012). Valuing workers implies that the employer sees them as individuals that contribute towards the overa ll accomplishment and the goals of the company. When an employer makes his employees feel appreciated, he pushes them to pursue doing well and ensuring that their input and contribution will continue to be appreciated (Dow, 2012). Appealing to the human need for recognition makes employees to take more interest in the performance of their job, which contributes to the overall success of their organization. In many cases, when the employees of an organization are happy about their job, they are more likely to serve their customers well, which contributes to further success for the organization (Dow, 2012). The critical need played by money and recognition shows that employees are motivated by both money and recognition; therefore employees should offer both – so as to increase employee satisfaction. 3. The three qualities of a good leader that strengthen customer service abilities include

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Design thinking- what is design thinking How might an organization create and sustain competitive advantage through the strateg - Essay Example In case of manufacturing or production, design thinking is a process of generating new ideas regarding a product or a service and then taking required steps for the implementation of those ideas in the product development process. Design thinking relates to the concept of innovation in that both of them are aimed towards putting some new ideas into practice which can improve the business of the company. If, in a market, a product is introduced which was not available before in the market, that product is considered an innovative product with innovative design and functionality that never existed before. Some of the main features of design thinking in organizations include modification of business processes to make them adaptable to the changed business environment, use of latest technology to create new products, and modernization of ideas In this paper, we will discuss the impact of design thinking on the strategic performance of company. The paper will include information on the be nefits of design thinking for companies, as well as the way design thinking and innovation can be used by a hospitality company to achieve competitive advantage in market. 2. ... McCallum (2010) states â€Å"creativity is important, particularly in business to remain competitive, to provide opportunities for staff and to create a fulfilling environment which has no constraints on free thinking†. To achieve competitive advantage, innovation and design thinking are not only required in the product manufacturing processes but also in processes and organizational culture. Stressing on the need for innovation and design thinking, Hunt (2007) states â€Å"a company cannot exist and develop without innovation technologies in the modern competitive world†. Observation and logical thinking is the central point for design thinking. Design thinking also improves decision making and problem solving skills, as well as integrates the use of Blue Ocean strategy which is considered necessary for bringing improvement in the business performance and achieving competitive advantage. Design thinkers create and consider a wide range of options to come up with some p articular decision regarding process change. They basically work to add some unique and inspiring features to products so that they become attractive for customers. It is a fact that customers drive the company towards competitive advantage. The more the customers of a company will have, more will be the chance for the company to achieve competitive edge in the market. Talking about the role of design thinking and innovation in achieving the goals of competitive advantage for companies, Berkun (2007, p.140) states â€Å"the innovation earns you money, is enjoyable to work on, or solves the problem that interests you†. According to Chesbrough (2003), no organization can achieve market domination without bringing