Plato and Aristotle Essay

Plato and Aristotle both have been very influential as the ancient Greek philosophers. Aristotle was a student of Plato and there are many similarities between these intellectual giants of the ancient world but there are also many things that distinguish them from each other. Aristotle was far more empirical-minded than Plato. First, Plato’s philosophy relegated the material, physical world to a sort of metaphysical second class. His contention was that the abstract truths of the mind-mathematical truths, moral and normative truths about ideals-are what really matter in life and in philosophy, and that the empirical world around us consists of merely poor copies of these ideals. By contrast, Aristotle did as much or more work in what we would today call science (physics, biology, etc. ) as in what remains a part of philosophy. While Aristotle certainly did important work in ethics and related areas, he concentrated as much or more on examining the material world. Plato can be read at times as being quite disparaging of science. This is not true of Aristotle. Second, the difference in the approaches and values of these two philosophers resulted in very different political philosophies. Plato’s political philosophy, which can be found principally in the Republic. For him, the just state is one ruled by ascetic philosophers who have been raised from birth not to value material reward or exclusive human connections, even with their own kin. They are the ideal of wise, objective, fair-minded, ultra-rational beings. In contrast to Plato’s utopian political philosophy, Aristotle’s political philosophy, which can be found principally in the Politics, has a large component of descriptive political science. When he does argue for certain political schemes, they tend to be incremental improvements on existing systems. Like his teacher Plato, Aristotle’s philosophy aims at the universal. Aristotle, however, finds the universal in particular things, which he calls the essence of things, while Plato finds that the universal exists apart from particular things. Aristotle makes philosophy coextensive with reasoning, which he also would describe as â€Å"science†. Note, however, that his use of the term science carries a different meaning than that covered by the term â€Å"scientific method†. For Aristotle, â€Å"all science is practical, poetical or theoretical†. By practical science, he means ethics and politics; by poetical science, he means the study of poetry and the other fine arts; by theoretical science, he means physics, mathematics and metaphysics. In general, Plato is the more extravagant thinker, the â€Å"thinking outside the box type† who was equal parts brilliant and bizarre in his ideas. Aristotle is more the cool, logical, dry, systematic thinker whose works tend to read like encyclopedias.

Accountancy 2258

Written Macro Assignment Solutions True/False Questions. Read each statement carefully, and neatly write the word TRUE on the line next to the statement if you believe the statement is true, or neatly write the word FALSE on the line next to the statement if you believe the statement is false. FALSE1. Do†¦Loops are used in macros to repeat lines of code a specified number of times. TRUE2. The area where macro code is displayed in Visual Basic is called the Code Window. TRUE3. A macro name is not required when creating a private macro. TRUE4. When declaring a variable, Dim stands for â€Å"define in memory†. FALSE5.Objects, Variables, and Actions are used to write macro code. TRUE6. One way to create a new macro is to use Record New Macro. TRUE7. The If†¦Then†¦Else†¦End If code allows code to be conditionally executed depending on whether a specified logical condition has been met. FALSE8. The last line of code for a private macro should be End Private Sub. FALSE9. The formula for a user-defined function must be entered in quotation marks. TRUE10. A public macro/procedure is activated by the user pressing the shortcut keys or clicking on a button. Problems. Read each problem carefully and follow the instructions given. 1.Open up Excel. Go to Cell E9 and use the Name Box to name this cell â€Å"Winter†. Then go to the Developer tab on the Ribbon, and click on the Record Macro button in the Code group. Name your macro â€Å"Referencing† and give it a shortcut key of â€Å"R†. After clicking OK to close the Record Macro dialog box, do the following: †¢ Select Cell C7 using absolute referencing (do not select the Use Relative Reference button). †¢ Using the drop-down arrow to the right of the Name Box, select â€Å"Winter†. †¢ Click on the Use Relative Reference button in the Code group on the Developer tab to use relative referencing, and then select Cell A4. Click on Stop Recording button in the Code group on the Developer tab. After you have performed these steps, view your code in Visual Basic Editor, and answer the following questions: a. What code was written when you selected Cell C7 using absolute referencing? Range(â€Å"C7†). Select b. What code was written when you selected the cell named â€Å"Winter† using the Name Box drop-down menu? Application. Goto Reference:=†Winter† c. What code was written when you selected Cell A4 using relative referencing? ActiveCell. Offset(-5, -4). Range(â€Å"A1†). Select Remember that ActiveCell.Select is the basic format used when writing macro code using relative referencing. Also, please note that when writing out the VBA code to move from one cell to another using relative referencing (as we did above) the Range(â€Å"A1†) portion of the code is not necessary. It shows up automatically (as displayed above) when we are recording a macro and moving from one cell to the next using relative r eferencing, but if you are just writing out the macro code, you do not need to include that portion of the code. 2. Assume Cell B3 is the current cell you are in on your Excel spreadsheet.Write the appropriate VBA code to perform the following: a. Move from Cell B3 to Cell E8 using relative referencing ActiveCell. Offset(5,3). Select Note that I did not include Range(â€Å"A1†) before . Select, as this is not necessary (see my note above). b. Move from Cell B3 to Cell A1 using relative referencing ActiveCell. Offset(-2,-1). Select c. =Move from Cell B3 to Cell J10 using absolute referencing Range(â€Å"J10†). Select 3. Write the necessary code to define a variable in Visual Basic named Age to store whole numbers with no decimal places.Dim Age As Integer 4. Write the necessary code to define a variable in Visual Basic named Expenses to store dollar values. Dim Expenses As Currency 5. Write the necessary code to define a variable in Visual Basic named City to store text values. Dim City As String 6. Write the appropriate code to create a dialog box asking the user to enter their employee ID number. Give the dialog box the title ID. Your code should place the user’s response in Cell A5 on your worksheet. Then create a loop around your code that will loop while Cell A5 is blank.Do Range(â€Å"A5†). Value = InputBox(â€Å"Please enter your employee ID number†, â€Å"ID†) Loop While Range(â€Å"A5†). Value = â€Å"† 7. Assume the employee ID number entered in the above dialog box is expected to be greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 99999. Rewrite your loop so it requires the user to enter a number that is equal to or between 1 and 99999. Do Range(â€Å"A5†). Value = InputBox(â€Å"Please enter your employee ID number†, â€Å"ID†) Loop Until Range(â€Å"A5†). Value >= 1 and Range(â€Å"A5†). Value 9999 and ActiveCell. Value

How Can Events Contribute to Destination Image Enhancement?

Introduction The image of a country or destination is vital to the growth of the nation. By using the right forms of efforts, the destination can be greatly enhanced. Countries used their forte to attract tourists to visit them. While countries with breath-taking scenes, unique cultures or wonders of the world attract their own lovers, others create their very own â€Å"scenes† which are called, events. An event is something that happens in a place and time. A successful event not only benefit in terms of profits, it also enhanced the image of the particular location.In this paper, some successful events will be looked at, telling us how these events sculpt the image of the destination and how they have helped to enhance the image of those destinations. Anuga, Cologne, Germany During World War Two, much of the city of Cologne was destroyed, by the end of the war, only 40,000 people were still living in the city. In 1947, the city was rebuilt, keeping the face of the post-war C ologne. Cologne is also the fourth largest city in Germany and one of the most travelled destination in Europe.Each year, Koelnmesse host more than 50 international trade fairs, attracting two million people. Amongst them are Anuga; the largest food show in the world and Cologne Carnival; known as the â€Å"fifth† season for the locals. In 2011, Anuga 2011 attracted 6596 companies from over 100 countries with a take up rate of 284,000 square meters of space. 86% of which were foreign exhibitors and over 155,000 trade visitors attended the show. Cologne had to accommodate to the influx of visitors each year. Infrastructure was built around the cultural landscape of Cologne to do just that.It is also a one of the most important traffic hub with all high-speed trains stopping there. Accommodations were abundance to house the millions who travel to Cologne for the trade fairs and there was no lack of restaurants and shopping. However, McCannell (1973) questioned the authenticity of what are portrayed to tourists in a destination, the building of such infrastructure may affect the overall landscape of the original Cologne, which is immense in a strong cultural vibe, hence portraying a different kind of city from what it is supposed to be.While the focus is put on international trade fairs for the city, the history had to make way for the development. Cologne has reflected some of the platforms on Jafari (1990). The advocacy platform, â€Å"the good† is the economic benefits that the industry brought, the amount of tourist money spent in the city during the event is high, the hotels benefitted during the period, translating into economic gains.The cautionary platform, â€Å"the bad† indicates the negative impacts which the event may bring to the city in opposition, social problems such as theft becomes common and monuments could be greatly depreciated with more people. The adaptancy platform, â€Å"the how† brings out the good and reduces the bad of the industry, it focused on the host country and at the same time, satisfying the visitors. In order to do so, much of the infrastructure in Cologne builds around the monuments and not demolishing them.In the knowledge based platform, â€Å"the why†, the importance of knowledge is the main point. Anuga, today, has become the must visit or must participate food event of the industry, the co-existing platforms of Jafari (1990) should help enhanced the image of the city. ? Beijing Olympics, China In 2008, the Olympics was held in Beijing, China. Ever since the announcement was made in 2004, China has been in preparation for the event. To do so, Beijing had planned building of stadiums, hotels, malls to house the athletes, coaches as well as audiences from around the world.The now world-renowned â€Å"bird's nest† stadium was built by 7000 workers and can house up to 91,000 audiences at one time. It was reported that China had made a profit of over 1 billion yu an for hosting the 2008 Olympics. These profits came from sales of broadcasting rights, souvenirs, tickets and sponsorship. Countries from around the world compete to host the Olympics to â€Å"put their country on the map† and increased the country's international exposure or to tell the world to anticipate something big from the country, which makes sense to a large extend.China has thus become an emerging huge market for the world, with a huge demand for imported goods as well as a strong presence in the export of China products. The event serves as a trailer to inform the world of its coming. The 2008 Olympics not only created state of the art infrastructure within oriental Beijing, but it also attracts the attention of international stake holders, boosting the image of Beijing, China. F1 Grandprix, SingaporeF1 Grandprix began way back in the early sporting days, it features some of the best race cars in the world and have created legends on the tracks. Today, the race ha s gone on to 19 countries in the world including Singapore. Singapore hosted the F1 Grandprix in 2008, the first ever night race. The television viewership was estimated at 350 million. While many watches the race through various media platforms, some would seek, as said by McCannell. D (1973, 1976), authentic experiences, by visiting the destination to experience the live event.However, Boorstin (1961) would say that the visitors already expected to see what they already know will see. Although it may not make much of difference for viewers as it would just be another race in another country, which is predictable. Ritzer and Liska (1997)'s mcdonaldization would support that, tourism destination or in this case, the event, is predictable, with expensive tickets, similar race tracks, crowded places and even the racers are the same but the Singapore race is unique on its own.By organising the F1 Grandprix in Singapore, the â€Å"Singapore Brand† would greatly benefit from it. I nstead of a normal day race, which many would expect it to be, the race is done at night, which makes it the first ever F1 night race to be held in the world. It would also show the world how Singapore is capable of transforming the busy downtown roads into race tracks for the car racers, in a matter of weeks. This would in turn benefit the tourism sector in Singapore.In an opening statement by Minister in Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Home Affairs and Trade and Industry, Mr S Iswaran, it was said that F1 has helped Singapore attained a firm standing as a global city. From the economic point of view, the race has attracted more than 150,000 international visitors since its first race and approximately $140-$150 million tourism receipts each year. The race would be hosted in Singapore till 2017, in the coming years, the multiplier effect of the race would be significant. ? ConclusionA destination is a place where someone or something is going or being sent, and in this paper, it is the event that attracts people to the destination and at the same time, the event going to various parts of the world through different medium. More often, events are being organised in a single destination to benefit both the country and the organisers, they complement each other in their own ways. Some examples are the events elaborated above, Anuga helps bring in business people from the food industry to Cologne, and Cologne introduces itself to the world through Anuga. The F1 Grandprix in Singapore does the same.In the past, many may not know where Singapore is, some never even heard of the name, but through the hosting of F1 Grandprix, Singapore is able to showcase its wonderful skyline and its much boosted capabilities to the world. These events not only generate popularity to the destination, it also generates revenues, and many intangible benefits which can roll over many years. The three events discussed above has proven that a world-renowned event can contribute to a destination image enhancement and most importantly, allow the destination to inked its identity on the world map.

The influnce of North Korea 3rd successor Term Paper

The influnce of North Korea 3rd successor - Term Paper Example erence to a closed economic policy that has refused to allow the country to be influenced by the world’s democratic policies or free market policies. The third in line – Kim Jung eun has already received bad press alleging the abuse of farming officials, in much the same vein as his father and grandfather. This essay will specifically analyse four articles from various newspapers in order to ascertain the indications which suggest that the third successor in the family may well influence the rest of the world in much the same way as his forbears did, continuing the totalitarian, undemocratic regime so that the people of North Korea remain relatively untouched by global influences. Kim Il Jung first came to power when North Korea separated itself from the South and declared itself a separate country on 9th September 1948 in the post IInd World War era. Availing of support from the Soviet Union, he instituted a series of economic and political reforms to convert North Korea into a Communist state, including the nationalization of Japanese property (www.news.bbc.co.uk). The subsequent war that broke out between North and South Korea was largely the result of political and ideological differences between the two countries, with each becoming aligned with one or the other of the superpowers. In the 1950’s, Kin Il Sung instituted the â€Å"Juche† or self reliance policy, giving rise to a rigid, state controlled, economic system with high levels of military spending which has driven North Korea further and further into poverty. The situation deteriorated to the extent that the country was defaulting on all of its loans in the 1980s and still, the ruler refused to open the country’s borders and markets to international trade. When Kim Il Sung died, his son Kim Jong-il took control of the military but did not immediately assume the title of head of State. Some high level officials however, who would have ascended to the post, died mysteriously and the son took on

Leading in a changing world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leading in a changing world - Essay Example This paper tends to discuss the importance of ethical leadership in business, with focus on fashion industry, and how unethical leadership leads to business failure. Ethical leadership means â€Å"ethically motivating others in ethical directions† consisting of both â€Å"procedural† and â€Å"substantive† (character-based) aspects (Chumir 1992). The procedural dimension of ethical leadership includes problem-solving and decision-making techniques within the circle of ethics. The substantive aspect of ethical leadership includes knowledge, strong standards and courage to follow ethical directions despite strong opposition. Dr. Bill Grace (2007), the founder of the Center of Ethical Leadership, has put forth a â€Å"4-V Model of Ethical Leadership† that correlates the substantive (inner values, principles and standards) with the procedural (words, actions and deeds) dimensions of ethical leadership so that effective decision-making can be done. The substantive virtues include values, voice, vision, virtue; and, procedural virtues include framing actions according to ethics, task scheduling, problem solving, and decisio n making. Ethical behavior of leaders is just as important in the fashion industry as in any other field (Paulins and Hillery 2009). Fashion industry is based on fashion marketing and fashion buying- processes which must be based on ethics to get the fashion reach the hands of common people. Ethical procedures in fashion merchandising retail are necessary to make the product reach the department stores and hi-fi boutiques. Fashion industry is such a high-end business where unethical behavior proves to be fatal for the company. High-end profits in fashion industry make it very tempting for company owners and business to get involved in unethical behavior (Xaxx 2013). There are many brands in the market which use sweatshops and

Policies and Procedures That Govern the Hiring Practices Article

Policies and Procedures That Govern the Hiring Practices - Article Example For Catholic Charities Spokane, their ultimate goal of providing consumer satisfaction within the means of the organization has guided them to the careful establishment of processes regarding recruitment, encouraging productiveness, work evaluation, and feedback. The Human Resources Coordinator is in charge of posting job vacancies, evaluating candidates, and organizing interviews. Productiveness of employees is encouraged through retreats and yearly evaluation. On the other hand, employees are given the voice to air their concerns regarding their work environment. The organization has made its stand regarding issues such as sexual harassment, discrimination and nepotism to prevent the occurrence of such activities. Ultimately, the human resource practices are annually evaluated using employee satisfaction ratings and retention. In any human resource management, knowing and understanding the law is important, as it decreases the chance of committing a federal or state crime (Yoder-Wi se, 2003). The policy and procedures of human resource management should thus be based on what the law stipulates. ... The Catholic Charities thus annually reassesses its workforce, through the Program Directors, based on any changes in employee workloads, current management practices, service objectives, and quality improvement. The Catholic Charities are also open to practicum students and volunteers. The recruitment and hiring process has been carefully planned out. Briefly, the availability of a position and its respective job description is promulgated in-house and around the community by the Human Resources Coordinator, in accordance to National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) standards (Siegel, 2002). For those who have completed the minimum requirements, two structured interviews are conducted to screen all applicants. The interview questions comply with employment and labor laws, as implemented by NLRB. What is important is that the set of questions asked of each applicant is consistent (Siegel, 2002). Aside from the competence of getting the job done, the commitment to empowering others by bei ng culturally and socioeconomically sensitive as well as to community involvement. An employee’s sensitivity is ascertained using a set of questions inquiring about empowerment of others, belief in the value of family, establishing and maintaining respectful relationships, and knowing one’s limits. This is in accordance to NLRB’s suggestion that the interview questions be focused on what was previously done by the interviewee, in the premise that past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior, in case of employment (Siegel, 2002). Finally, a letter of hire will be given to the person most qualified for the job. The manpower is maximized by providing an equitable work environment that supports organizational productivity and stability despite individual

Aristotle's on Democracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Aristotle's on Democracy - Essay Example 2001). He regarded democracy to be the deteriorated counterpart to polity. In the Politics, he describes aristocracy as rule by the best. In application, this normally meant rule by the well-born, those of noble family who called themselves "the best people". Aristotle employs "polity" both in that manner, as the general term for a constitution of any kind, and as the name of one of this kind. The concept of polity (politeia, constitution) is that all citizens should have short turns at ruling. Because it is an inclusive type of government, everyone has a share of political power. On the other hand, oligarchy or the general term for rule by a few is the corrupt kind which aims to advance the interest of the wealthy few. Finally, democracy, which means literally rule by the people, was used by Aristotle to mean rule exclusively by the poor in their own interest. It is important to note that Aristotle distinguishes between democracy and politeia based on the fact that democracy seeks the interests of only the ruling faction, while politeia seeks the interests of all. According to Aristotle in Book VI of his Politics, the critical principle of democracy is freedom, one feature of which is having a share in ruling. He declares that justice is equality based on number rather than merit, and as a result the multitude has authority, meaning that the poor have more authority than the wealthy. A second feature of freedom is to be able to live as one wants. Thus, democratic people do not want to be ruled at all, although if it is necessary to have rulers then the next best choice is to rule and be ruled in turn (trans. 2001). To Aristotle and the Greeks during his time, democracy was defined as a government of, by and for the people. Originally, democracy was understood to mean rule by the common people. In this view, it was very much a class matter, even before the beginning of modern class society. It meant that power should be held by the biggest class,

Concretising your discussion with reference to specific examples, Essay

Concretising your discussion with reference to specific examples, identify and discuss the main components of the ideology of the artist - Essay Example The term Gramsci is given to this socialization process of influencing people’s perceptions of society (Lye 1997). The concept of ideology essentially means beliefs, whether true or false, in society that has become institutionalized so they can serve the interests of a ruling class. Ideological beliefs are similar to propaganda but vary in the way that they are much more deeply embedded in the peoples conscious and influences how a person thinks about the society he or she lives in. For example, Americans tend to have certain beliefs about the nature of the democracy but may find democracies elsewhere alien if they do not follow the same pattern. Some beliefs configure our actions, like going to the polls to elect our leaders turns out to be a duty. Critics might mention that these beliefs might actually work against most people for the obscure interests of those leaders who rule America. Assuming the critic is right, then those would be ideological beliefs and represent a "false consciousness" about American democracy. The issue raised with the notion of ideology implies that there are objective truths in the world that do not depend on our idea of them in order for them to be true. The natural sciences were for quite some time in history considered as the only dependable starting place of these objective truths. The first followers of the concept of ideology supposed that by employing scientific methods, the false beliefs of ideology could be uncovered. Early Greeks thinkers contested the idea of objective truth by saying that truth lies in the eye of the beholder and that science reveals no hidden truths about the world but only helps us in reshaping things in a manner that suits the needs of the elite ruling classes. Without a clear idea of objective truth, the whole idea of ideology appears unfeasible. In history the concept of ideology

Research Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Research - Assignment Example In the Title VII, different religious observances comprise head or face coverings, clothes, jewelries as well as other religious items. Hence, it can be recognized that wearing headscarf or other religious clothing has been considered as religious observance for purposes of Title VII (42 U.S.C.  §2000e-2) (The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc., â€Å"Questions and Answers: Religious Discrimination in the Workplace†) Answer: The religious provisions that are mentioned in the Title VII considerably engages undue hardship defense in terms of providing required religious accommodation provisions for the employees. The defensive initiative for an employer in the Title VII is provided in order to grant exceptional provisions for the religious beliefs of the employees working under the employer in the workplace (The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc., â€Å"Questions and Answers: Religious Discrimination in the Workplace†) Answer: The factors relevant to proving undue hardship can be recognized as the type of the workplace, nature and roles of the workers, relevant accommodation cost with respect to operating cost and size of the employer as well as the appropriate accommodation requirements of the employees (The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc., â€Å"Questions and Answers: Religious Discrimination in the Workplace†) Answer: The major issue within the case can be determined as a major concern related to the employment discrimination with regard to the Title VII and its religious observances. According to the case of employment discrimination, the issue rose as an appeal for religious consideration in the police uniform of any Muslim women police officer in the City of Philadelphia. The issue was appealed by Kimberlie Webb to allow wearing of religious garb with her uniform (Third Judicial Circuit, â€Å"United States Court of Appeals

Environmental Sustainability and Public Policy Research Paper

Environmental Sustainability and Public Policy - Research Paper Example But as the world now looks in retrospect, it’s evident that this growth has come at a cost. A cost which the future generations will have to bear if the respective practices pursue. Nature has provided us with the vast pool of resources that have fuelled our industrial growth alongside provision of basic sustenance materials such as food, water and air. But rampant anthropocentrism has made most industries oblivious to the consequences of growth at the expense of a degenerating ecosystem. While economists have historically acclaimed that human beings have unlimited wants but limited resources, the emphasis has lied on financial resources. Natural resources have always been thought of as being infinite. This thought has eventually led to what Garrett Hardin deemed as the Tragedy of the commons, multiple individuals acting independently and rationally consulting their own self-interest, depleting a shared resource without any consideration for the future sustainability of that r esource. This phenomenon has gained due attention from scientific circles and has inevitably transcended to political and administrative circles as well. By virtue of sharing a common environment, global initiatives are being taken to analyze the extent the environmental damages have taken place and modify the practices that need to take place. We are dependent on the environment for our survival and growth, and in return the environment requires our reciprocation for its sustenance. Facing countless environmental issues, the onus for environmental sustainability lies on governments, industries, citizens and every inhabitant of this planet; by virtue of being stakeholders. Some of the most pressing environmental issues that have surfaced include: Biodiversity: To protect ecosystems and curb extinction of species, otherwise it is bound to cause discrepancies in the natural food chain. This will automatically be a great loss for the environment and pose as a hurdle in sustainability. Climate change effects on ecosystems: The melting of glaciers and over all global biodiversity depletion is causing damage to the ecosystems as animal habitats are changing drastically. Oil pollution: Global oil mining and leaks such as the BP New Mexico leak have created massive setbacks in the animal population and permanently damaged sea beds. Several animal species are now included in the endangered species list as a consequence. Thus, it is the prime purpose of governments and environment protecting agencies to look into more environmental friendly energy sources and for now, a safer incident-free transportation system. Biosafety: To add artificial ecosystem catalizers in place of endangered species to add value back to the system and assuage the prevalent damages in the affected region. This is the least our advanced technology can do to add to the environment in place of the damages it has caused. Perhaps science and environmental sustainability can perhaps one day be known a s coexisting rather than being antonyms. Global dimming: The reflection of causes an opposite effect of global warming and doesn’t allow the sun’s heat and energy to pass though. This is known to have caused the droughts in Ethiopia. Thus, CO2 levels need to be looked at and controlled otherwise they will play

Principles Of Teaching And Learning In Teaching Math Essay Example for Free

Principles Of Teaching And Learning In Teaching Math Essay Students learn mathematics through the experiences that teachers provide. Teachers must know and understand deeply the mathematics they are teaching and understand and be committed to their students as learners of mathematics and as human beings. There is no one right way to teach. Nevertheless, much is known about effective mathematics teaching. Selecting and using suitable curricular materials, using appropriate instructional tools and techniques to support learning, and pursuing continuous self-improvement are actions good teachers take every day. The teacher is responsible for creating an intellectual environment in the classroom where serious engagement in mathematical thinking is the norm. Effective teaching requires deciding what aspects of a task to highlight, how to organize and orchestrate the work of students, what questions to ask students having varied levels of expertise, and how to support students without taking over the process of thinking for them. Effective teaching requires continuing efforts to learn and improve. Teachers need to increase their knowledge about mathematics and pedagogy, learn from their students and colleagues, and engage in professional development and self-reflection. Collaborating with otherspairing an experienced teacher with a new teacher or forming a community of teachersto observe, analyze, and discuss teaching and students thinking is a powerful, yet neglected, form of professional development. Teachers need ample opportunities to engage in this kind of continual learning. The working lives of teachers must be structured to allow and support different models of professional development that benefit them and their students. Mathematics Principles and practice What can learning in mathematics enable children and young people to achieve? Mathematics is important in our everyday life, allowing us to make sense of the world around us and to manage our lives. Using mathematics enables us to model real-life situations and make connections and informed predictions. It equips us with the skills we need to interpret and analyse information,  simplify and solve problems, assess risk and make informed decisions. Mathematics plays an important role in areas such as science or technologies, and is vital to research and development in fields such as engineering, computing science, medicine and finance. Learning mathematics gives children and young people access to the wider curriculum and the opportunity to pursue further studies and interests. Because mathematics is rich and stimulating, it engages and fascinates learners of all ages, interests and abilities. Learning mathematics develops logical reasoning, analysis, problem-solving skills, creativity and the ability to think in abstract ways. It uses a universal language of numbers and symbols which allows us to communicate ideas in a concise, unambiguous and rigorous way. To face the challenges of the 21st century, each young person needs to have confidence in using mathematical skills, and Scotland needs both specialist mathematicians and a highly numerate population. Building the Curriculum 1 Mathematics equips us with many of the skills required for life, learning and work. Understanding the part that mathematics plays in almost all aspects of life is crucial. This reinforces the need for mathematics to play an integral part in lifelong learning and be appreciated for the richness it brings. How is the mathematics framework structured? Within the mathematics framework, some statements of experiences and outcomes are also identified as statements of experiences and outcomes in numeracy. These form an important part of the mathematics education of all children and young people as they include many of the numerical and analytical skills required by each of us to function effectively and successfully in everyday life. All teachers with a responsibility for the development of mathematics will be familiar with the role of numeracy within mathematics and with the means by which numeracy is developed across the range of learning  experiences. The numeracy subset of the mathematics experiences and outcomes is also published separately; further information can be found in the numeracy principles and practice paper. The mathematics experiences and outcomes are structured within three main organisers, each of which contains a number of subdivisions: Number, money and measure Estimation and rounding Number and number processes Multiples, factors and primes Powers and roots Fractions, decimal fractions and percentages Money Time Measurement Mathematics – its impact on the world, past, present and future Patterns and relationships Expressions and equations. Shape, position and movement Properties of 2D shapes and 3D objects Angle, symmetry and transformation. Information handling Data and analysis Ideas of chance and uncertainty. The mathematics framework as a whole includes a strong emphasis on the important part mathematics has played, and will continue to play, in the advancement of society, and the relevance it has for daily life. A key feature of the mathematics framework is the development of algebraic thinking from an early stage. Research shows that the earlier algebraic thinking is introduced, the deeper the mathematical understanding will be  and the greater the confidence in using mathematics. Teachers will use the statements of experiences and outcomes in information handling to emphasise the interpretation of statistical information in the world around us and to emphasise the knowledge and skills required to take account of chance and uncertainty when making decisions. The level of achievement at the fourth level has been designed to approximate to that associated with SCQF level 4. What are the features of effective learning and teaching in mathematics? From the early stages onwards, children and young people should experience success in mathematics and develop the confidence to take risks, ask questions and explore alternative solutions without fear of being wrong. They will enjoy exploring and applying mathematical concepts to understand and solve problems, explaining their thinking and presenting their solutions to others in a variety of ways. At all stages, an emphasis on collaborative learning will encourage children to reason logically and creatively through discussion of mathematical ideas and concepts. Through their use of effective questioning and discussion, teachers will use misconceptions and wrong answers as opportunities to improve and deepen children’s understanding of mathematical concepts. The experiences and outcomes encourage learning and teaching approaches that challenge and stimulate children and young people and promote their enjoyment of mathematics. To achieve this, teachers will use a skilful mix of approaches, including:  planned active learning which provides opportunities to observe, explore, investigate, experiment, play, discuss and reflect modelling and scaffolding the development of mathematical thinking skills learning collaboratively and independently  opportunities for discussion, communication and explanation of thinking developing mental agility  using relevant contexts and experiences, familiar to young people making links across the curriculum to show how mathematical concepts are applied in a wide range of contexts, such as those provided by science and social studies using technology in appropriate and effective ways  building on the principles of Assessment is for Learning, ensuring that young people understand the purpose and relevanc e of what they are learning developing problem-solving capabilities and critical thinking skills. Mathematics is at its most powerful when the knowledge and understanding that have been developed are used to solve problems. Problem solving will be at the heart of all our learning and teaching. We should regularly encourage children and young people to explore different options: ‘what would happen if?’ is the fundamental question for teachers and learners to ask as mathematical thinking develops. How will we ensure progression within and through levels? As children and young people develop concepts within mathematics, these will need continual reinforcement and revisiting in order to maintain progression. Teachers can plan this development and progression through providing children and young people with more challenging contexts in which to use their skills. When the experience or outcome spans two levels within a line of development, this will be all the more important. One case in point would be the third level outcome on displaying information. The expectation is that young people will continue to use and refine the skills developed at second level to display charts, graphs and diagrams. The contexts should ensure progression and there are clear opportunities to use other curriculum areas when extending young people’s understanding. What are broad features of assessment in mathematics? (This section should be read alongside the advice for numeracy.) Assessment in mathematics will focus on children and young people’s abilities to work increasingly skilfully with numbers, data and mathematical concepts and processes and use them in a range of contexts. Teachers can gather evidence of progress as part of day-to-day learning about number, money and measurement, shape, position and movement and information handling. The use of specific assessment tasks will be important in assessing progress at key points of learning including transitions. From the early years through to the senior stages, children and young people will demonstrate progress in their skills in interpreting and analysing information, simplifying and solving problems, assessing risk and making informed choices. They will also show evidence of progress through their skills in collaborating and working independently as they observe, explore, experiment with and investigate mathematical problems. Approaches to assessment should identify the extent to which children and young people can apply their skills in their learning, in their daily lives and in preparing for the world of work. Progress will be seen as children and young people demonstrate their competence and confidence in applying mathematical concepts and skills. For example: Do they relish the challenge of number puzzles, patterns and relationships? Can they explain increasingly more abstract ideas of algebraic thinking? Can they successfully carry out mathematical processes and use their developing range of skills and attributes as set out in the experiences and outcomes? As they apply these to problems, can they draw on skills and concepts learned previously? As they tackle problems in unfamiliar contexts, can they confidently identify which skills and concepts are relevant to the problem? Can they then apply their skills accurately and then evaluate their solutions? Can they explain their thinking and demonstrate their understanding of 2D shapes and 3D objects? Can they evaluate data to make informed decisions? Are they developing the capacity to engage with and complete tasks and  assignments? Assessment should also link with other areas of the curriculum, within and outside the classroom, offering children and young people opportunities to develop and demonstrate their understanding of mathematics through social studies, technologies and science, and cultural and enterprise activities. How can I make connections within and beyond mathematics? Within mathematics there are rich opportunities for links among different concepts: a ready example is provided by investigations into area and perimeter which can involve estimation, patterns and relationships and a variety of numbers. When children and young people investigate number processes, there will be regular opportunities to develop mental strategies and mental agility. Teachers will make use of opportunities to develop algebraic thinking and introduce symbols, such as those opportunities afforded at early stages when reinforcing number bonds or later when investigating the sum of the angles in a triangle. There are many opportunities to develop mathematical concepts in all other areas of the curriculum. Patterns and symmetry are fundamental to art and music; time, money and measure regularly occur in modern languages, home economics, design technology and various aspects of health and wellbeing; graphs and charts are regularly used in science and social studies; scale and proportion can be developed within social studies; formulae are used in areas including health and wellbeing, technologies and sciences; while shape, position and movement can be developed in all areas of the curriculum. The Teaching Principle Effective mathematics teaching requires understanding what students know and need to learn and then challenging and supporting them to learn it well. Students learn mathematics through the experiences that teachers provide. Thus, students understanding of mathematics, their ability to  » use it to solve problems, and their confidence in, and disposition toward, mathematics are all shaped by the teaching they encounter in school. The improvement of  mathematics education for all students requires effective mathematics teaching in all classrooms. Teaching mathematics well is a complex endeavor, and there are no easy recipes for helping all students learn or for helping all teachers become effective. Nevertheless, much is known about effective mathematics teaching, and this knowledge should guide professional judgment and activity. To be effective, teachers must know and understand deeply the mathematics they are teaching and be able to draw on that knowledge with flexibility in the ir teaching tasks. They need to understand and be committed to their students as learners of mathematics and as human beings and be skillful in choosing from and using a variety of pedagogical and assessment strategies (National Commission on Teaching and Americas Future 1996). In addition, effective teaching requires reflection and continual efforts to seek improvement. Teachers must have frequent and ample opportunities and resources to enhance and refresh their knowledge. Effective teaching requires knowing and understanding mathematics, students as learners, and pedagogical strategies. Teachers need several different kinds of mathematical knowledge—knowledge about the whole domain; deep, flexible knowledge about curriculum goals and about the important ideas that are central to their grade level; knowledge about the challenges students are likely to encounter in learning these ideas; knowledge about how the ideas can be represented to teach them effectively; and knowledge about how students understanding can be assessed. This knowledge helps teachers make curricular judgments, respond to students questions, and look ahead to where concepts are leading and plan accordingly. Pedagogical knowledge, much of which is acquired and shaped through the practice of teaching, helps teachers understand how students learn mathematics, become facile with a range of different teaching techniques and instructional materials, and organize and manage the classroom. Teachers need to understand the big ideas of mathematics and be able to represent mathematics as a coherent and connected enterprise (Schifter 1999; Ma 1999). Their decisions and their actions in the classroom—all of which affect how well their students learn mathematics—should be based on this knowledge. This kind of knowledge is beyond what most teachers experience in standard preservice mathematics courses in the United States. For example, that fractions can be understood as parts of a whole, the quotient of two integers, or a number on a line is  important for mathematics teachers (Ball and Bass forthcoming). Such understanding might be characterized as profound understanding of fundamental mathematics (Ma 1999). Teachers also need to understand the different representations of an idea, the relative strengths and weaknesses of each, and how they are related to one another (Wilson, Shulman, and Richert 1987). They need to know the ideas with which students often have difficulty and ways to help bridge common misunderstandings.  » Effective mathematics teaching requires a serious commitment to the development of students understanding of mathematics. Because students learn by connecting new ideas to prior knowledge, teachers must understand what their students already know. Effective teachers know how to ask questions and plan lessons that reveal students prior knowledge; they can then design experiences and lessons that respond to, and build on, this knowledge. Teachers have different styles and strategies for helping students learn particular mathematical ideas, and there is no one right way to teach. However, effective teachers recognize that the decisions they make shape students mathematical dispositions and can create rich settings for learning. Selecting and using suitable curricular materials, using appropriate instructional tools and techniques, and engaging in reflective practice and continuous self-improvement are actions good teachers take every day. One of the complexities of mathematics teaching is that it must balance purposeful, planned classroom lessons with the ongoing decision making that inevitably occurs as teachers and students encounter unanticipated discoveries or difficulties that lead them into uncharted territory. Teaching mathematics well involves creating, enriching, maintaining, and adapting instruction to move toward mathematical goals, capture and sustain interest, and engage students in building mathematical understanding. Effective teaching requires a challenging and supportive classroom learning environment. Teachers make many choices each day about how the learning environment will be structured and what mathematics will be emphasized. These decisions determine, to a large extent, what students learn. Effective teaching conveys a belief that each student can and is expected to understand mathematics and that each will be supported in his or her efforts to accomplish this goal. Teachers establish and nurture an environment conducive to learning mathematics through the decisions they make, the conversations they orchestrate, and the  physical setting they create. Teachers actions are what encourage students to think, question, solve problems, and discuss their ideas, strategies, and solutions. The teacher is responsible for creating an intellectual environment where serious mathematical thinking is the norm. More than just a physical setting with desks, bulletin boards, and posters, the classroom en vironment communicates subtle messages about what is valued in learning and doing mathematics. Are students discussion and collaboration encouraged? Are students expected to justify their thinking? If students are to learn to make conjectures, experiment with various approaches to solving problems, construct mathematical arguments and respond to others arguments, then creating an environment that fosters these kinds of activities is essential. In effective teaching, worthwhile mathematical tasks are used to introduce important mathematical ideas and to engage and challenge students intellectually. Well-chosen tasks can pique students curiosity and draw them into mathematics. The tasks may be connected to the  » real-world experiences of students, or they may arise in contexts that are purely mathematical. Regardless of the context, worthwhile tasks should be intriguing, with a level of challenge that invites speculation and hard work. Such tasks often can be approached in more than one way, such as using an arithmetic counting approach, drawing a geometric diagram and enumerating possibilities, or using algebraic equations, which makes the tasks accessible to students with varied prior knowledge and experience. Worthwhile tasks alone are not sufficient for effective teaching. Teachers must also decide what aspects of a task to highlight, how to organize and orchestrate the work of the students, what questions to ask to challenge those with varied levels of expertise, and how to support students without taking over the process of thinking for them and thus eliminating the challenge. Opportunities to reflect on and refine instructional practice—during class and outside class, alone and with others—are crucial in the vision of school mathematics outlined in Principles and Standards. To improve their mathematics instruction, teachers must be able to analyze what they and their students are doing and consider how those actions are affecting students learning. Using a variety of strategies, teachers should monitor students capacity and inclination to analyze situations, frame and solve problems, and make sense of mathematical concepts and procedures. They  can use this information to assess their students progress and to appraise how well the mathematical tasks, student discourse, and classroom environment are interacting to foster students learning. They then use these appraisals to adapt their instruction. Reflection and analysis are often individual activities, but they can be greatly enhanced by teaming with an experienced and respected colleague, a new teacher, or a community of teachers. Collaborating with colleagues regularly to observe, analyze, and discuss teaching and students thinking or to do lesson study is a powerful, yet neglected, form of professional development in American schools (Stigler and Hiebert 1999). The work and time of teachers must be structured to allow and support professional development that will benefit them and their students.

Japanese Business Culture Essay Example for Free

Japanese Business Culture Essay What do you do to prepare for this meeting? In order to prepare for this meeting, apart from the usual prepaparation with regards to presentations, brochures and other information material, information about the product as well as the company, etc, I need to gather extensive information about the Japanese business culture as the peculiar characteristics of this particular trading company with whom we are meeting. It is extremely important in international business that one should pay attention to prevailing business culture, customs and peculiarities of the companies from other countries in order to conclude a successful business deal. Therefore, I need to peep into material describing the Japanese way of doing businesses, their negotiation styles, things which one should avoid during the meetings, etc. What do you want to know about the trading company? The first thing which I would like to know about the trading company is its similarity to the traditional Japanese companies which possess certain typical characteristics. For example, one of the important things to know about this trading firm will be whether it is part of Japanese Keiretsu or not. The knowledge of this information in advance will help me to identify key features of Japanese trading firms who are still part of the large groups or Keiretsu. Knowledge about few characteristics of the firm will help us to present ourselves in a more comfortable manner at deal stage. I am presenting below few important characteristics of Japanese firms: 1) Connections are very helpful in this country, but choose your intermediaries carefully: the Japanese will feel obliged to be loyal to them. Select someone of the same rank as the person with whom he or she will have dealings. Moreover, an intermediary should not be part of either company involved with the deal. 2) If you know a highly respected, important person in Japan, use his or her endorsement and connection. Before you enter into negotiations, request a consultation, and then ask if you can use the endorsement and connection to further your business efforts. This method of using connections is standard practice among Japanese businesspeople. 3)Generally, the Japanese are not receptive to outside information. They will consider new ideas and concepts only within the confines of their own groups. 4)The Japanese tend to think subjectively, relying on feelings rather than empirical evidence. 5)Getting acquainted is the purpose of the initial meetings. You may, however, introduce your proposal during these preliminary discussions. During presentations, and especially during negotiations, it is essential that one maintain a quiet, low-key, and polite manner at all times. The highest-ranking individual may appear to be the most quiet of everyone present. For a persuasive presentation, you must describe how your product can enhance the prosperity and reputation of the Japanese side. Making these claims effectively requires a thorough knowledge of Japanese economy, business, and product lines. The Japanese will commit themselves to an oral agreement, which may be acknowledged by a nod or slight bow, rather than by shaking hands. Contracts can be renegotiated; in Japanese business protocol, they are not final agreements. After gathering knowledge about these typical characteristics of Japanese firms, we will try to compare this particular firm with these characteristics by analyzing the available information. Â  source: http://www.executiveplanet.com/business-etiquette/Japan.html Comment to student: click on the link above. You will find many links on this page with respect to business culture in Japan. The Japanese have been raised to think of themselves as part of a group, and their group is always dealing with other groups. This is viewed on many angles internationally it is We Japanese vs. everyone else (more on that later), but in schools, companies, sections of companies etc. there are many groups and sub-groups and not always in perfect harmony and cooperation as it may look on the surface. Dealing with Japanese on a one-to-one basis usually comes very easy to non-Japanese, but dealing with Japanese as a group can be a different matter altogether. source: http://www.thejapanfaq.com/FAQ-Primer.html about the V.P. and his/her delegation? There are certain things which we need to know about the VP and his delegation. The strong hierarchical structure in Japanese business is reflected in the negotiation process. They begin at the executive level and continue at the middle level. However, decisions will often be made within the group. Generally speaking, in business meetings the Japanese will line up in order of seniority, with the most senior person at the front and the least senior person closest to the door. In addition to this rule however, you may find that the most senior person chooses where to sit. It is important to bear in mind that in contemporary Japan, even a low ranking individual can become a manager if his or her performance is good. (source: http://www.communicaid.com/japan-business-culture.asp ) Further, it is important to know few personal information about the visiting team. For example, their level of proficiency with English, whether or not a translator will be required, the age as it is directly related to seniority in Japanese culture, whether they have travelled abroad to US or other Western Countries before because it may have serious implications with respect to few culturally sensitive issues such as some Japanese men who have not been abroad are not used to dealing with women as equals in a business setting. ..about their inquiry? The foremost thing about their inquiry which I will like to know is the nature of relationship they are looking to establish with our company with respect to selling our products in Japan. For example, are they looking for some kind of manufacturing joint venture in Japan, or are they looking to take distributorship or license for our products. Such information will help us to present ourselves in a better and precise manner and will help us in coming to common ground with them. One of the sources for finding such information will be the local Santa Clara office of the company. Further, internet can prove to be a useful source for finding more information about the company such as its web portal, its partners and vendor relationships as displayed over the website, press releases and third party comments available on the web, etc. When starting business in Japan and entering into initial distributor contract negotiation, many foreign executives are probably unaware of the potential value of their products in Japan, but you can guarantee that the Japanese distributors on the other side of the negotiation will have a very good idea of the value. source: http://www.venturejapan.com/japanese-distributors.htm If you are doing business in Japan with a Japanese distributor, then you absolutely must negotiate a strong agreement before starting in the Japanese market. Â  Another issue to be aware of, and which if uncontrolled will have a significant impact on the final percentage of revenue you receive, is that the Japanese market is awash with multi-layered distribution channels. Your Japanese distributor may in fact be a master distributor who will pass your products through one or more layers of sub-distributors prior to it reaching its intended consumer or corporate buyer destination. In some situations its unavoidable for example, if your distributor sells to a large Japanese company you can expect that the customer will mandate a trading company (usually one of its subsidiaries) to handle the purchase and take a 5% 15% fee for its efforts. source: www.venturejapan.com/japanese-contract-negotiation.htm What do you want to highlight in the meeting with the V.P.? As discussed in the above paragraphs, it is very important in Japanese business negotiations with a distributor to explain to them the potential value of our products in Japan. It is important to present them with some revenue forecasts with respect to sales in Japan. First, you must know the Japanese value, not the US, UK, German, French or Italian value but the Japanese value of your product or service before you can negotiate a win-win relationship with a Japanese distributor. If you spent your first month doing business in Japan aggressively networking and information gathering you should have a pretty good idea of your products value. By comparing with your home market statistics you should also be able to extrapolate some reasonable revenue forecasts: idealized of course but an invaluable benchmark for contract negotiation with a Japanese distributor. Armed with the results of your first months Japanese business analysis, you stand a good chance of convincing a reputable distributor that they should put your product into their lead portfolio and invest in aggressively promoting it. Your ability to assert the potential Japanese value of your product and your ability to defend that value will support your justifiable contract negotiation claims to require transfer fees calculated on net revenues, not on your home market price list. The result is that you have a chance to get the best possible distribution deal for your company and a deal that could only ever be bettered by a direct entry into the Japanese market using a Japanese subsidiary company or office. source: www.venturejapan.com/japanese-contract-negotiation.htm If things look positive in that meeting, what would you expect to happen at the next stages of the discussions? Â  Even if the things look positive in that meeting, Japanese generally take time time finalize their decision as the decision making process can be very slow for Japanese firms. I expect the Japanese trading firm to extensively discuss the issue within their group in order to arrive at the final decision. From the pre-meetings, to the informal parties, the Japanese style of doing business will take the shape of an intricate spiders web, where few outsiders can fully understand the implications of what exactly is occurring. Japanese culture effects every aspect of daily life. The cultural tradition of Japan reflects a strong desire to be harmonious, efficient, and most important, to promote group solidarity, and this is best achieved by making decisions based on consensus. Robert Marshall elaborates by saying that, group decision making in Japan promotes unanimity in result through consensus {Marshall},[p. 7]. source: http://www.earlham.edu/~consense/scott2.shtml Comment to student: The above mentioned link is an excellent article on group decision making in Japan. Please read through it to gather more information on decision making in Japanese culture. How are your actions in this situation different from the situation in which you make the first move in order to find a licensee? The actions in this situation is different from my first move because I have a more informed and better view along with a clear understanding of the Japanese business culture and negotiation process now. My first move was a sort of unorganized effort to explore the Japanese markets. This situation is different in the sense that I am now preparing myself for specific company which has already shown little interest in our products and are ready to explore more about our company. It is very important to have clear understanding of Japanese culture, prevailign market conditions, information about the industry and knowledge of other peculiar characteristics before one can enter into a successful negotiation with a Japanese company. My initial failures have made me realize that in order to successfully conclude a deal with a Japanese company, one needs to present him in a manner that proves the value of our product with respect to Japanese market.

Nissan revival plan was achieved one year ahead of schedule

Nissan revival plan was achieved one year ahead of schedule In 1999 Nissan had been facing great losses for seven of the past eight years which were now resulting in debts. This was mainly caused by the Japanese business custom of keiretsu investments which left little capital for other investments, like innovations in product designs. This lack of design innovation furthermore caused the Nissan brand to weaken as competitors were producing vehicles more stylish and up to date, reflecting customer demands. To foster a turnaround the Nissan president and CEO Yoshikazu Hanawa formed a mutual beneficial strategic alliance (Global Alliance Agreement) with Renault, allowing both companies to expand in new desirable geographic areas. With his experience in turnarounds Carlos Ghosn seemed to be the obvious choice to lead the Nissan turnaround from both the Renault and Nissan point of view. Evaluation The approach was an overall success in meeting the specific and measurable goal of turning the losses into profits not only on time but 6 month prior to the deadline. The Nissan Revival Plan was achieved one year ahead of schedule and succeeded in reducing their purchasing costs by 20 % which meant that they approximately reached the level of Renault. The large emphasis Ghosn placed on the execution also gave him an edge as this phase is much more demanding in terms of communication, meeting objectives on time and budget, potential conflicts with power resources and resistance to change. The respect Ghosn showed for the Japanese culture was vital for the initiatives to succeed, even though I believe it was a mistake for him not to learn about Japan before coming there as it is very easy unintended to insult people from other cultures if you are not familiar with their specific customs, but it also gave him an edge in being open-minded in perceiving the Japanese and Nissan culture. Coming to Japan he only brought three principles of management with him were to be well received and understood by employees: transparency, execution vs. strategy; improving quality and customer satisfaction and reducing costs. Not just anybody could have managed the Nissan turnaround as well as Ghosn did. For instance, A COO from Japan would not have been able to cut back on keiretsu investments. Because of the Japanese business culture to make these kinds of investments and the Japanese emphasis on cooperation and loyalty, it would have been considered to be a sort of betrayal and ultimately would 3 have harmed the Nissan brand even more. Only an outsider with different cultural background could legitimize such a change. The resistance Ghosn eventually faced when ignoring the almost sacred tradition of promoting by education, age and time within the company would likewise have been much more pronounced if the initiative came from a Japanese COO. Resistance to change Ultimately some sort of resistance was inevitable because of the major structural and cultural changes Nissan was facing with Ghosn as COO. People generally do not resist change, per se. but some underlying causes, like lack of understanding, fear of the unknown or fear of an outcome worse than the present situation.1 In this specific case Ghosn went a long way implementing many changes before meeting actual resistance in form of lack of cooperation among employees caused by the elimination of the old promotion system, allowing younger, less experienced employees to be promoted based on their skills and achievements. This resistance was clearly caused by fear of the unknown and fear of loosing/not gaining status by promotions. Resistance is generally a very important form of feedback and Ghosn chose to view the resistance as an opportunity for experience rather than a limitation.2 1 Dent, E. B. and Goldberg, S. G. (1999). Page 26 2 Ford, J. D. and Ford, L. W. (2009). Page 101 3 Nohria, N., Joyce, W. and Roberson, B.(2003). Page 45 4 Ford, J. D. and Ford, L. W. (2009). Page 100 Ghosn has overcome the actual resistance and prevented potential resistance to the cultural and structural changes in large by clearly communicating all initiatives and objectives to all Nissan employees. Communication had previously been a problem within the company but by creating a matrix structure (combining efficiency and effectiveness) and through consistency between his own actions, thoughts and communication Ghosn was making sure that transparency as well as communication within the organization was improved and afterwards maintained, keeping focus on the strategy.3 Likewise by creating the Cross-Functional Teams, he sought to build engagement and participation and made sure that the employees would have a sense of ownership over the Nissan Revival Plan and motivate communication across departments, stimulate future risk-taking and responsibility as well as regaining confidence in the companys future. Mitigating resistance by involvement and communication are generally very e ffective and will increase employee commitment to execution.4 4 The former lack of accountability and acceptance of responsibility among employees was eliminated by directly assigning responsibility and accountability and encourage people to take risks. This was accomplished in part by monetary rewards and stock options whenever the actions led to increase in operating profits or revenues.5 The previous consensus mentality at Nissan seems to have been: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢If everyone one is responsible then no one is accountable, and nobody gets punished,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬- which was affecting risk-taking and slowing decision-making processes across the company. 5 Fu, Dean and Millikin, john P. page C553 Organizational culture As mentioned above, the understanding and respect Ghosn expressed for the Japanese Nissan culture and the fact that he communicated his wish to work through this culture were vital for his acceptance within the organization. He made it clear from the very beginning that he too had a personal stake in the outcome and thereby created a sense of cohesion with the employees. His visibility in the organization from day one and the consistency between his communications and actions was a new but welcome change that made him human in the eyes of the employees. This transparency and consistency together with his explicit promise to respect the culture also helped building a sense trust and thereby employee support for most of Ghosns change initiatives. The Nissan president and CEO, Yoshikazu Hanawa, had a positive attitude towards Ghosn and his experience and abilities in turnarounds, since he explicitly asked Renault to send Ghosn to Nissan to lead the changes. But because Ghosn was a foreigner and not accustomed to the Japanese way of doing business, several industrial business analytics expressed scepticism and concern for this arrangement. It is likely that middle-managers and higher-level-managers have been influenced by these critics and therefore had a negative attitude towards Ghosn as COO, but if they did, they did not make much fuss about it. 5 National culture When you consider the differences between Ghosns leadership style and the Japanese (Nissan) way of doing business, it is actually a bit of an achievement that resistance did not arise earlier and more pronounced than it did. The cultural differences between Ghosn, with his experience in working in organizations with strong corporate cultures, and the Nissan organization, with its weak culture traits, were very pronounced and had great potential to cause some trouble along the way, but it takes two to tango, and one of them has to lead. The initiative of putting together Cross-Functional Teams had great potential for meeting resistance in part because of the Japanese tradition of reaching consensus when making decisions. In addition, if every member of a Cross-Functional Team had to make sure, that their respective departments were supporting every suggestion, then the decision-making process would not only have been slowed severely but would have staled. It is also very likely that the employees at Nissan would have resisted the Cross-Functional Team initiatives because of the Japanese culture of loyalty and cooperation within departments but not necessarily across departments (especially not in troubled times) caused by the weak organizational culture. Early on Ghosn became aware that in order to turn Nissan around, he would have to address some of these cultural issues in order to get to root of the problems and meet the overall goal of creating profits. First and foremost, he would have to communicate and make understood the importance of meeting customer wants and needs (included a radical change in the decision-making processe).6 The management would have to create a shared vision (or long-term plan as opposed to their usual sort-term). Management at Nissan was displaying tunnel vision and was focusing on regaining market share instead of increasing margins and product innovation to meet customer demands.7 The emphasis placed on informal contacts and information, complicated knowledge sharing across the organization, as nothing was written or formally communicated, which also slowed decision-making processes. He would have to overcome these cultural obstacles (underlying problems) before addressing the real problems at Nissan. 6 Nohria, N., Joyce, W. and Roberson, B.(2003). Page 46-47 7 Fu, Dean and Millikin, john P. page C549 6 Luck and timing The timing for these changes was absolutely perfect. Had Ghosn and his Cross-Functional Teams tried to implement the same changes a few years earlier, they would most likely have met great resistance and possible failure. But because of the resent bankruptcy of the major financial house, Yamaichi, and the lack of bailout by the Japanese government, the employees at Nissan began to take their situation seriously and this imposed a sense of urgency among the employees. This sense of urgency helped push changes by making the employees more willing to cooperate and implement the proposed changes as well as taking more risks in order to turn the company around. This willingness for taking risks decreased the previous fear of making decisions (especially faulty decisions) which decreased the need for consensus decision-making , which again increased the speed with which decisions was able to be made. This further fostered motivation for innovative proposals for the product line, which had a positive effect on the Nissan competiveness and on consumer satisfaction. In short, the bankruptcy of Yamaichi was a stroke of luck at the exact right time to help kick-start the major changes at Nissan, especially in the minds of the employees. Looking forward In the next few years (2005) Ghosn will have to return to Renault to take over as CEO (his lifelong dream). The right replacement for his job must ensure continuous growth and success, keeping focus on customer needs and increases in profit as well as to nurture the newly accomplished sense of urgency to keep driving employees towards continuous improvements (Nissan 180). A successor should, besides the above mentioned, be able to create a balance between long-term and short-term objectives to ensure that employees do not fall back into old habits.8 Constantly setting short-term objectives, aligning them with long-term objectives will enhance motivation among Nissan employees as they will see their effort and hard work paying of. 8 Griswold, H. M. and Prenovitz, S. C.(1993). Page 5 9 Krackhardt, D. and Hanson, J. R.(1993). I would recommend Ghosn to use the network analysis9 as a tool for helping him making the best possible decision, ensuring that the person he will choose is trustworthy among employees, accountable and responsible, has influential power. The friendship network is always a good place to start, but he should be sure to mad both the communication network and advice network as well. Perhaps there will be an obvious overlap between the three. 7 Conclusion The Nissan turnaround was a great success in that it met measurable objectives and accomplished to overall strategic goal of increasing profits within the schedule. By approaching the Japanese and corporate Nissan culture with an open mind, Ghosn was able to gain the employees trust. His approach to the cultural differences combined with a great stroke of luck, turned the challenge into and opportunity and he was thereby able to meet the overall goal. In facing the fundamental problems within the organization; lack of clear profit orientation, insufficient focus on customers and too much on competitors, lack of a sense of urgency, no shared vision or common long-term plan, lack of cross-functional, cross-border, cross-cultural lines of work, he had to bend the rules of engagement by changing large parts of the Nissan culture. More specifically, based on the recommendations from the Cross-Functional Teams, he implemented some rather radical changes on the Japanese traditions of doing business, in order to help Nissan get back on track. Even though he was hereby violating his prior commitment to be sensitive to the Nissan culture, he did not experience serious resistance in doing so, because it was ultimately Nissan employees suggesting these changes, he was just executing them. In choosing his Successor Ghosn should map the informal networks within the organization, emphasising on trust, accountability and power to create change. 8 List of literature  · Dent, E. B. and Goldberg, S. G. (1999). Challenging resistance to change. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 35(1), 25-41.  · Ford, J. D. and Ford, L. W. (2009). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Decoding resistance to change.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬- Harvard Business Review, 87(4), 99-103.  · Fu, Dean and Millikin, john P. (2003) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢The Global Leadership of Carlos Ghosn at Nissan,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬- Thunderbird The American Graduate School of International Management, C546 C556  · Griswold, H. M. and Prenovitz, S. C.(1993).à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢How to translate strategy into operational results.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬- Business Forum, 18(3), 5-9.  · Krackhardt, D. and Hanson, J. R.(1993).à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Informal networks: the company behind the chart.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬- Harvard Business Review, July/August, 104-111.  · Nohria, N., Joyce, W. and Roberson, B.(2003).à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢What really works.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬- Harvard Business Review, 81(7), 42-52.

Comparing The Sick Rose by William Blake and Fog by Carl Sandburg Essay

Comparing "The Sick Rose" by William Blake and "Fog" by Carl Sandburg In this assignment I will gracefully compare and contrast two short poems. In my selection for the poems, I kept in mind that the two poems needed to have something in common metaphorically or thematically. After many hours of browsing I came upon two poems that contained an ultimately strange connection metaphorically and in content. Interestingly, the two also had numerous differences. The first poem I encountered was "The Sick Rose" written by William Blake in 1794. Soon after, I read "Fog" (1916) by Carl Sandburg and I began to notice an exciting connection filled with various exceptions of chief differences. Although the poems were written more than a century apart from each other, after rereading them numerous times, they left me with an unimaginable amount of thinking and writing ground. Comparison   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The two poems "The Sick Rose" and "Fog" are very much alike in the sense that they both use the introduction of weather and animals to shape the poem and give the reader a sense of displeasure. In "The Sick Rose" the poet introduces a worm and storm and in "Fog" the poet uses the fog and a cat. The subject matter is perhaps similar in these two poems with the fact that both poems embody foul weather that prevent life from flowing in its normal path. To be more specific, a storm destroys plants, animals, and life in general, while a fog blocks out the sun and its energy to spring life. In "Fog" the poet, Carl Sandburg, uses the weather condition of a fog as the main subject matter for his poem. The entire poem is literally focused on the fog above the city and harbor. Using a metaphor, Sandburg makes the fog come to life as if it actually had its own eyes to be able to overlook the city. The fog takes the shape of a cat as it "sits looking over harbor and city" (570). Like a cat, the fog sits on silent haunches. Personally, Sandburg’s words created a mental picture of a black/grayish, dirty, street cat wandering silently in the alleys of an industrious city observing the streets on top of a half-century old brick building. This engaging metaphor is what makes the fog come to life and also creates its consciousness of the harbor and city that it overlooks. Although the metaphor is being used to show a similarity in the two poems, it will be most significant later on... ...escribe how peaceful and silent the fog is and how it just comes and goes in silence leaving no trace behind. Sandburg’s approach produces imagery of calmness, silence, and perhaps unimportance. This is strongly reflected with the last line "and then moves on." (570) In contrast, Blake’s tone and attitude is intense and violent, almost provocative at times. It utterly creates weight and importance on the sick rose. One example is how he starts out using an exclamation in his first line as he speaks to the rose in anguish. In conclusion, "Fog" because of its use of metaphor and calm tone tends to focus more on developing a strong, temperate image, (more on description), while "The Sick Rose" uses fierce, moving words to create strong feelings as it concludes with death, grief, and great emotional sorrow. The Sick Rose William Blake O Rose, thou art sick! The invisible worm That flies in the night, In the howling storm, Has found out thy bed Of crimson joy, And his dark secret love Does thy life destroy. (1794) Fog Carl Sandburg The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on. (1916)

Educational Goals and Philosophy :: Teaching Education Essays

Educational Goals and Philosophy As an Elementary Education major I have learned that an educator’s job is not just to teach the student/s about basic curriculum such as reading, writing, geography, history and mathematics. However, is to also instill basic views of society into the student to create an over-all, well- rounded adult and because of this course I have developed some definite views and opinions about education and the many expectations of a teacher. During this course I have been exposed to many different views, opinions and theories concerning education and the role of the teacher, and I especially relate to the philosophical views of Rousseau. In fact, I agree with just about every aspect of Rousseau’s theory. I believe that the child is born innocent and if it is exposed to a certain environment will remain innocent. But, not all children are able to remain innocent, they may have issues at home or even personal issues that can or will corrupt him/her. This corruption may influence the child’s learning process once he/she enters into school. I also feel that students truly do have the desire to learn and know the truth and that over-all humans are good- natured. The environment that the child is exposed to however has a very high influence upon the child and how the child handles the pressures and demands of education and learning. Knowledge, in my belief, is relative. Therefore I think, this places a lot of responsibility upon the teacher. The teacher should be in control of the classroom at all times and if the teacher allows actions to go on that may be distracting to some students then those students, due to the distractions, may not do as well in this chaotic classroom environment. However, if the same students were placed in a classroom environment that was not quite as distracting and much more orderly then the same students would probably succeed at the same material that they had struggled with in the chaotic environment. Once again the learning environment is very crucial to the success of the student and depending upon each student and how the classroom in conducted this may be the deciding factor in a student’s success. Once I become a teacher I hope to conduct my classroom in manner in which my students feel comfortable and excited to learn. I hope that the material that they learn from me will be carried with them for the years ahead and this knowledge will become the solid building blocks that is used daily by a successful adult.

Aristophanes Agathon in Women at the Thesmophoria Essay -- Aristophan

Aristophanes' Agathon in Women at the Thesmophoria Aristophanes and Agathon were peers in Ancient Greece. Aristophanes was the master of comedy, and Agathon was the master of tragedy. They traveled in the same circles and are present in the same works. In looking through the comic lens at Agathon in Aristophanes’ Women at the Thesmophoria, the reader is presented with a portrayal of an effeminate man with a flair for the dramatic and a queenly attitude. Aristophanes’ Agathon is a comic character to be laughed at, a man that is more female than male. In looking at this view of Agathon, Greek views of homoeroticism are brought up and Agathon’s reputation and character in the world of Ancient Greece is brought into question. How much of this portrayal is actual, and how much is Aristophanes use of comedy? More importantly, what is exposed in viewing Agathon in this light? In order to answer these questions, an alternate, non-comic view of Agathon must be looked at, which Plato’s Symposium offers. By comparing Agathon’s portrayal in both works, views on Agathon and on Greek homoeroticism can be inferred. Aristophanes’ portrait of Agathon is not true to Agathon’s actual self, but rather uses cultural stereotypes and bigotry to gain laughs. Looking at Aristophanes’ portrayal of Agathon in both Symposium and Women at the Thesmophoria and in looking at the general treatment given to Agathon in Symposium, a basis for this interpretation is created, allowing the modern reader a clearer look at Greek life. Three lenses are presented- Aristophones’ comic lens in his famous comedy, Aristophanes’ personal lens through his speech in Symposium, and Plato’s non-comic lens in Symposium, providing a wide range of views to be explored. Arist... ...ng the most cultured, the stereotypes of the masses were ignored. Through combining all three lenses, it is clear that Aristophanes’ portrait of Agathon is not true to Agathon’s actual self, but rather uses cultural stereotypes and bigotry to gain laughs. Though Agathon was a womanly man in a long-term homo-sexual relationship, Women at the Thesmophoria plays on stereotypes, exposing the common Greek ideals of masculinity and homoeroticism. Through further exploration of Symposium, both with Aristophanes’ tint and without, it is apparent that Agathon was no one to be lampooned, but was rather an intelligent, well-respected member of the highest social circles. Women at the Thesmophoria serves as more of a lens into common Greek beliefs then a lens into Agathon’s character, showing that the comic lens of Aristophanes goes deeper culturally then it does personally.

Cultural Observation

In my adventure to find the right store for this assignment, I solicited the assistance of my neighbor. My neighbor, Edith Harbor and her husband Larry own a convenience store in Gaga Priest, located in the northern region of Sonata, Mexico so this was the venue of choice for me to observe for a few hours. Before entering the store, the first thing I observed was the modest appearance of the building. The building was not as fancy or modern as mom of the building in American.It was covered in traditional Mexican colors and language written on the walls as well as locals seated on a bench outside the door. This reminded me of some of the local stores I was accustom to when growing up in Georgia. The local people were as observant of me as I was of them, paying close attention to what I was saying to my friend Edith. Edith was very familiar with many of the people in the area so she was able to introduce me to some of the people entering the store. One of the main things saw as well as smelled was garlic.The reason for this is he Harbor own local garlic farmers and they just recently harvested the garlic which was being sold in their store. Edith also makes and sells tamales in their store, which are a traditional Mexican dish made out of corn. As I reflect on this experience, it forced me to pay very close attention to better understand what people were saying because they were primarily speaking Spanish. English being my native language, I had to watch what I said to ensure that I did not say anything offensive. I was very impressed with the way each person presented themselves in the way they interacted as well as he way they dressed.Most American is not very courteous or considerate to their elders but I noticed how they would address their elders. This is something I was accustoming to from a youth growing up in the south being respectful Of my elders and this was displayed by many in Mexico. This observation also affected my intercultural communication in a way that has forced me to want to perfect my Spanish so could better interact with Edith and her family. Cultural Observation In my adventure to find the right store for this assignment, I solicited the assistance of my neighbor. My neighbor, Edith Harbor and her husband Larry own a convenience store in Gaga Priest, located in the northern region of Sonata, Mexico so this was the venue of choice for me to observe for a few hours. Before entering the store, the first thing I observed was the modest appearance of the building. The building was not as fancy or modern as mom of the building in American.It was covered in traditional Mexican colors and language written on the walls as well as locals seated on a bench outside the door. This reminded me of some of the local stores I was accustom to when growing up in Georgia. The local people were as observant of me as I was of them, paying close attention to what I was saying to my friend Edith. Edith was very familiar with many of the people in the area so she was able to introduce me to some of the people entering the store. One of the main things saw as well as smelled was garlic.The reason for this is he Harbor own local garlic farmers and they just recently harvested the garlic which was being sold in their store. Edith also makes and sells tamales in their store, which are a traditional Mexican dish made out of corn. As I reflect on this experience, it forced me to pay very close attention to better understand what people were saying because they were primarily speaking Spanish. English being my native language, I had to watch what I said to ensure that I did not say anything offensive. I was very impressed with the way each person presented themselves in the way they interacted as well as he way they dressed.Most American is not very courteous or considerate to their elders but I noticed how they would address their elders. This is something I was accustoming to from a youth growing up in the south being respectful Of my elders and this was displayed by many in Mexico. This observation also affected my intercultural communication in a way that has forced me to want to perfect my Spanish so could better interact with Edith and her family.

Joline Godfrey and the Polaroid Corporation Essay

Executive Summary The critical problems Polaroid faced in the â€Å"Joline Godfrey and the Polaroid Corporation (A)† case are the lack of structures to support innovations and the absence of mechanisms to develop talents. Polaroid’s business revolved around a single product category, which had been under the threat of emerging technologies. The company had retrenched to a narrow focus on profit through cost-cutting and short-term sales promotions instead of business innovations for strategic repositioning. The company’s engineering orientation and respect for â€Å"rising-through-the-ranks† made it difficult for innovative endeavors and talents from a different background (particularly females) to bring about strategic changes. The organizational deficiencies at Polaroid manifested themselves through a series of unorthodox choices and manoeuvres of Joline Godfrey and her mentor Jerry Sudbey, which tried to circumvent internal limitations to obtain financial and human resour ces for the exploration of a strategic alternative. With limited trust and regards for formal processes, Joline turned her Odysseum project into a â€Å"private experiment† and failed to compromise tactically with key corporate stakeholders to garner support and legitimacy. The project gradually lost its direction and internal support and the failed initiative cumulated in Joline’s derailment as an agent of change and a young talent with promising creativity. To prevent failures like Joline and her Odysseum project from repeating themselves, we recommend from Polaroid’s organizational perspective to: 1)Introduce a project management office to provide guidelines, assess viability, prioritize resources and establish milestones and deliverables to materialize innovative ideas; 2)Introduce a mentorship program to provide high potential staff with structured training, line exposure, project exposure and strategic guidance for them to flourish. The Problems and How They Arose The critical problems Polaroid faced in the â€Å"Joline Godfrey and the Polaroid Corporation (A)† case are the lack of structures to support innovations and the absence of mechanisms to develop talents.  Polaroid’s business revolved around a single product category, which had been under the threat of emerging technologies. After the retirement of its founder, the company had retrenched to a narrow focus on profit through cost-cutting and short-term sales promotions instead of business innovations for strategic repositioning. The company’s engineering orientation and respect for â€Å"rising-through-the-ranks† had built a collection of like-minds which reinforced this lack of openness, making it difficult for innovative endeavors and talents from a different background (particularly females) to bring about strategic changes. The Negative Consequences The organizational deficiencies at Polaroid manifested themselves through an unorthodox mentor-apprentice relationship between Jerry Sudbey and Joline Godfrey. In an attempt to explore a strategic alternative to cope with external changes, they took a series of choices and manoeuvres that circumvented Polaroid’s internal limitations. Joline’s Odysseum project took on a â€Å"private experiment† flavour and gradually lost its direction and support from Polaroid’s corporate structure. To Polaroid, the failure of the Odysseum initiative not only cumulated in the derailment of Joline as a young talent with promising creativity, but also spelled an opportunity missed perhaps for a critical corporate change. What Went Wrong? While Polaroid’s senior management claimed to embrace innovation, they did not â€Å"walk the talk†. As much as Jerry saw the need for Polaroid to evolve with its environment through Joline’s Odysseum project, the initiative lived on a patchwork budget. Financial support needed to be solicited from different functions, most of which through personal relationships rather than formal authority and endorsement. The project team had been assembled from volunteers who worked during private hours. Without stand-alone budget and resources, Joline’s drive for innovation faced tremendous pressure and took a hit in times of cost-cutting. The strategic instinct and personal rapport that Jerry had with peers and top management could only carry the initiative through a short distance, but not to the end where a fundamental change in the way Polaroid does business might have come about. Joline’s career at Polaroid had revolved around ad-hoc projects initiated by senior management (e.g. corporate downsizing  and the Spetra launch). Through these highly unstructured opportunities, Joline had developed a knack for thinking out-of-the-box and taking on challenges at her own initiative. Joline was creative, energetic and highly driven. She had the charisma not only to attract followers but also elicit the best out of them. However, without well-structured training and guidance from Polaroid’s hierarchy, Joline remained a â€Å"dreamer† with no hand-on experience in line functions that are essential for creditability and respect in Polaroid’s conservative culture. With few opportunities to work through and appreciate the formal structures and processes in Polaroid, she had developed a tendency to go her own way, unimpeded and even to a degree of stubbornness that she simply refused to compromise tactically with key corporate stakeholders (e.g. the marketing department) to garner support and legitimacy for her Odysseum project (see Exhibit 1). What Can Be Done to Avoid a Repeat? While it may be convenient to pin the failure of Odysseum, the mentor-apprentice relationship, and Joline’s derailment on the personal ineffectiveness of herself and Jerry, it would be far more meaningful rather for Polaroid to address innovation and executive development from an organizational perspective (see Exhibit 2). Firstly, we suggest the introduction of a project management office (PMO) to consolidate, support and control innovative endeavors. Individuals and teams are encouraged to formulate ideas into structured proposals with clear objectives, benefit and cost assessments, milestones, deliverables and adoption and cut-loss thresholds. The PMO will evaluate the proposals in terms of strategic fit, potential impacts and viability, prioritize the chosen ones, and procure resources and support for their incubation. The PMO will take projects with promising interim results to line departments for critique and validation, then formalize them as corporate initiatives and monitor their implementation progress. The cost of a PMO would likely be a couple of executives with good knowledge of organizational structure and business and financial processes to keep new ideas moving along. The key benefits of a PMO are the pronounced commitment to and structural support for intrapreneurship, which would foster innovation while keeping initiatives practical and realistic to yield profits for the organization over both  short and long terms. Secondly, to protect talented but inexperienced executives from failing through derailment cracks, we recommend the establishment of a training and mentorship program. Staff with potentials will each be assigned to a mentor from senior management, who will provide strategic guidance and help the staff develop key networks. The mentorship will be coupled with short-to-medium term assignments to business and functional lines to help the staff acquire hard-skills conforming to company standards and values. This balance of top-down and bottom-up approaches will help the staff understand business processes from strategic planning through to procedural execution. Cost of the program will likely be extra time spent by senior managers (as mentors) and line managers (as trainers). But rewards will be long-term and plentiful – it will help the organization establish talent pipelines and solidify succession plans, which will enhance its long-term sustainability. 1. The market (external environment) is changing – evolving from film to electronic photography. 2. Sudbey as a corporate leader had a vision for Polaroid to reposition to a service orientation. 3. Project Odysseum was carried out mostly through informal structures and lost track in the end. 4. Polaroid lacked the formal structures to support innovation (e.g. financing, human resources, strategic guidance, etc.). 5. Changes are needed in formal structures  (introduction of Project Management Office and Mentorship Program). 6. The new formal structures would trigger changes in how different components of the organizational architecture interact with each other (e.g. leadership involvement, work process for incubation of innovative ideas, etc.). 7. Polaroid would benefit as an organization and its staff would have venues to materialize their innovative ideas and develop skills to evolve into competent executives.