No Smoking Legislation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

No Smoking Legislation - Essay Example The designated locations for the display have similar characteristics, they all holds large number of persons. The legislation has some exceptions to particular business premises; the law allows the businesses to designate or allocate enclosed regions where their customers can smoke. No smoking legislation is effective in reducing health problems in the population (Ahn, 2012). Different countries globally have adopted the legislation after carrying out researches. There has been evident change in terms of health as a result of the ban; cases related with both active and passive smoking drastically reduced. Personally, I support the ban or no smoking legislation, with the bar it has reduced the number of children admitted as result of asthmatic attacks in hospital at both United States and United Kingdom (Carter, 2012). Children are the most victims of passive smoking in the society, hence, ban in public smoking will be an initiative to safeguard children’s and passive smokerâ €™s health. Statistics shows that before the ban, the percentage of children being admitted due to serious asthma attacks were increasing by 2.2% each year in United States. After the implementation of the no smoking legislation, the percentage of children admission accordingly to asthmatic attack reduced by 12.3% and there is further reduction by 3% annually. Other research conducted in Scotland and china had similar outcome, reflecting in the reduction of public health problem because of passive or active smoking. Therefore, on personal perspective, the ban on public smoking should continue to be implemented (Carter, 2012). Past and Current Cases Related To Ban There have been many cases that evolved after execution of no smoking in public policy, which are both positive and negative. On the past cases, after public ban, there was court petition at Ohio to stop implementation of the law. People who filed the petition were citizens and other business personalities. For the busi ness owners, they filled their petition citing that the law was invading on the business property rights, hence affecting their ability to generate income (Ahn, 2012). Citizen filed petition on the ground that it affect their personal life, thus citing that the law should either be amended or abolished. After implementation of the law, there has been imposition of fine to the public and private premises that violates the act. Many businesses have been taken to court after failing to abide to the law. In some of the past cases where bars at Ohio failed to respect laws; bars did not have posters on No smoking and it allowed its citizens to smoke in public. The magistrate fined the bars showing examples to other business to abide to the provided decree. After the attainment of ban in several parts globally, countries have gone further to abolish or prohibits advertisement of tobacco product. Some countries prohibited Tobacco Company to sponsor any sporting events. The ban of sponsorshi p and advertisement in the European Union (EU) in the year 2005 impelled formula one management to find other ways, which allows display of the livery or racing color of tobacco sponsorship (Gilleskie & Strumpf, 2000). These later led to some of the scheduled races to be cancelled in the

Rationalism and Empiricism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Rationalism and Empiricism - Essay Example It is about the psychological side that Pinker claims, "The past tense is the only case I know in which two great systems of Western thought (rationalism and empiricism) may be tested and compared on a single rich set of data, just like ordinary scientific hypotheses." But Searle argues among other things that the debate about the past tense is not a case in which "two great systems of Western thought (rationalism and empiricism) may be tested and compared on a single rich set of data." Searle argued that the features that make them "great systems of Western thought" are left unaffected by the discussion of the past tense. Their debate also included history, computation and information processing in relation to rationalism and empiricism where both thoughts oppose each other. The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy which Searle (in Pinker & Searle, 2002) thinks is standard, defines rationalism as the position that reason presides over other ways of acquiring knowledge, or that it is the unique path to knowledge. It is most often encountered as a view in epistemology, where it is traditionally contrasted with empiricism, the view that the senses are primary with respect to knowledge (Audi, 1999). Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that asks the question "How do we know what we know" (Epistemology n.d.). This is a nature/nurture debate then, with Rationalists going for nature and Empiricists going for nurture. Some scientists think that people behave as they do according to genetic predispositions or even "animal instincts." This is known as the "nature" theory of human behavior. Other scientists believe that people think and behave in certain ways because they are taught to do so. This is known as the "nurture" theory of human behavior (Powell, 2006). Plato and Descartes were famous Rationalists, John Stuart Mill and David Hume were famous Empiricists. The following can be said to be the levels by which rationalism and empiricism may be differentiated. DIFFERENCES Etymology and emphasis. According to Carlo Sini (2004), the name Rationalism obviously derives from the word 'rational' which goes back to the Latin, 'ratio' meaning 'calculation'. This in turn goes back to another Latin word, 'ratus', which is the past participle of 'reor', meaning "think', 'deem', 'judge'. What runs through all of these is the emphasis on mind, an emphasis connected with the word 'rational' as well: rationalise, rationality, and similar terms. 'Empiricism' derives from another English word, 'empiric', meaning, 'derived from experience.' The term "empirical" was originally used to refer to certain ancient Greek practitioners of medicine who rejected adherence to the dogmatic doctrines of the day, preferring instead to rely on the observation of phenomena as perceived in experience (Sini, 2004). The doctrine of empiricism was first made by John Locke in the 17th century. Locke argued that the mind is a tabula rasa ("clean slate" or "blank tablet"or" white paper") on which experiences leave their marks. To Locke, the mind is like

Compare and Contrast between Scientific School of Thought

Compare and Contrast between Scientific School of Thought Scientific school of management (also known as Taylorism or Taylor system) is a theory of management which analyzes synthesizes the processes of workflow, while improving labor efficiency. The theory as a whole was developed by Frederick Winslow Taylor between 1880s 1890s, was first published in many of his monographs such as Shop Management in 1905 The Principles of Scientific Management in 1911. He also believed that decisions which were based upon tradition rules of thumb should be replaced by procedures which are precise and were developed after careful study of a volunteer at work. The behavioral school of management thought was developed, because of weaknesses that were perceived in the assumptions formulated from the classical school. The classical school had emphasized on efficiency, process principles. Many people felt that this emphasis did not give any importance to any of the important aspects of life of an organization, particularly as it related to human behavior. Therefore, the behavioral school of management was mainly focused on trying to get the meaning of the factors which would affect human behavior at the workplace. As organizations developed became more complex, there aroused a need for systematic understanding of managing the overall process of getting things done through many other people. Management is combination of a vast spectrum of theories. Management is divided into two important divisions i.e. The classical school of thoughts the Neo-classical school of thoughts. Process of designing and maintain an environment in which individual working together in groups efficiently accomplish selected aims Management is an essential organ for all business organizations. Management consists of sires of interrelated functions which are performed by all managers. Management is a process of planning, organization, staffing, directing and controlling. So now we can say that management is a continuous process of interrelated functions of an organization in order to set basic goals which are to be performed for the existence of the company. Management is a complex activity .Management is an intangible force that cannot be seen but its presence can be felt in the way the organization functions. It is a group activity with different types of individuals getting together to achieve the organizational goals .Management is very dynamic .It operates in a changing environment .It adapts these changes so, that the business is able to maintain its competitiveness .Management ensures that the organization makes profit which is an incentive for continued successful operation of the enterprise. Management is essential for achieving the goals of an organization. The task of a manager is to give a common direction to the individual effort in achieving overall goals of the organization. Management aims at reducing cost increasing productivity. Management also operates in an ever changing environment. It has to make changes to adapt to face challenges that may come up in the future. Managers motivate and lead the individual in such a way so that he can achieve his personal individual goals or objectives. Management helps the development of society by providing good and durable quality products and service by creating an employment opportunity and adopting new technology. Fredrick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915) is known as the father of scientific management. The disciplines given by Taylor became famous in their own way. Scientific management is the word or the phrase given to the principle practices which grew out of the work done by Taylor. The Four basic principles contributed by Taylor are given below:- (i) Scientific, not rule of thumb (ii)Harmony, not discord (iii) cooperation, not individualism (iv) development of each and every person to his or her greatest efficiency and prosperity. Therefore the scientific methods provide an understanding framework for the overview of the problems. It usually consists of defining the problem gathering data, analyzing the data, developing alternatives and the best alternatives. Taylor believed that the scientific method would provide a useful way to determine the most productive method to perform the work. Henri Fayol (1841-1925) was a French management theorist whose theories on scientific organization of labor were hugely influential in the end of the nineteenth century. Fayol graduated from the mining academy of St.Ethian in 1960. His theories dealt with the organization of production in the context of a competitive enterprise that has to control its production costs. Fayol was the first person to identify four functions of management-planning, organizing, directing controlling although his method was a bit different as in plan, organize, command, coordinate and control. According to Fayol all the activities done by an industry can be divided into technical; commercial; financial; security; accounting and managerial. Fayol even told that one should have the qualities possessed by a manager such as physical, moral, education, knowledge experience. He gave fourteen principles of management which are Division of work Authority responsibility Discipline Unity of command Unity of direction subordination of individual interest to general interest remuneration of employees centralization and decentralization scalar chain order equity stability of personnel initiative Spirit de corps. Max Weber (1864-1920) was a sociologist and a political economist who originated from Germany. The most notable organization was huge fully industrialized. They often included ongoing routine tasks that produced a variety of products. Tasks were standardized as much as they could. Max focused on dividing organizations into hierarchies, by establishing a strong line of authority control. He suggested that organizations should develop comprehensive detailed standard operating procedures for all tasks that are reutilized. Eventually unions government regulations reacted to the rather dehumanizing effects of these theories. Too much attention was given to individual their unique capabilities in the organization. Human resource departments were added to the organizations. The behavioral sciences played a major and an important role in helping to understand the needs of the workers as well as the needs of the organizations. The six major principles of Max Weber are A formal hierarchical structure Management by rules organization by functional specialty An up- focused or in-focused mission purposely impersonal Employment based on technical qualification. The classical or traditional thought of management was generally concerned with the structure the activities of a formal organization. The importance derived from the achievement of an effective efficient organization were seen to be the issues like the creation of a hierarchy of authority, the division of work, the span of control. The classical thought of management focuses on the efficiency or productivity and includes scientific, bureaucratic administrative management. The scientific approach requires many major principles in its application on management: Develops a science for each operation to replace opinion the rule-of-thumb. It suggests that workers should be scientifically selected and should be based on their qualifications trained to perform their jobs in the most optimistic manner. It advocates genuine cooperation between workers management based on mutual self-interest. Suggests that management should take full responsibility for planning the work that workers primary responsibility should be the achievement of managements plans. Scientific thought of management is a series of approaches which are aimed at improving the performance or efficiency of individual workers through the use of analytical procedures to lift workplace productivity. The system was developed by Fredrick Taylor (1856-1915), in the hope of providing the workplace with greater productivity efficiency, which in turn gave the individuals a whole better understanding of management. He defined his theory as the one best way for a job to be done .Scientific management had brought many improvements to productivity of an organization, which was much needed impressive. Highly repetitive jobs were re-designed, with a remarkable increase in output, which has contributed to the workplace greatly. Despite all the criticisms of Taylor`s work, his work is considered to be an essential study in management. By recruiting the best employees training them in the best useful way and also giving them satisfactory wages according to the up-to-date values can improve the stage of work and yield (productivity). This will certainly lead to an increase in the efficiency or productivity of business. We still rely on these ideas along with some of the aims of human relations theory which are flexibility, informal communication, and motivation. Both overlook the organizational excellence through increased efficiency. This can be achieved today by equally depending upon both the theories. Scientific management is very important, therefore, because it could raise the standard of living of all the countries by making workers more efficient productive adding their wages. Unlike the theorist of the human relation movement, the behavioral theorist engaged in objective research of human behavior movement in organization. They carefully attempted to keep their personal belief out of their work life. It has added the importance meaning to our understanding of power, conflict, organization. Our vote of thanks leads to all those who introduced these theories to the world. This is the conclusion for this project.

A Girl with a Pearl Earring

Samantha Fain Dr. Elizabeth Wise CHM 165 3/15/2012 Book Report: Girl with a Pearl Earring The Girl with a Pearl Earring is a historical fictional novel about the famous painting created by the artist Johannes Vermeer. The story takes place in the 17th century in Delft, Holland. The novel chronicles the actions that led up to the painting of Girl with a Pearl Earring. The subject of the painting is a young girl named Griet, who goes to live with Johannes Vermeer’s family and be a second maid to their growing household. Vermeer really introduces Griet to the world of paint and even goes as far as to employ her as his assistant.Vermeer did not waste any time showing his new assistant, Griet, how to mix paints. Vermeer started off by sending Griet to pick up materials to grind up and make his paints. Vermeer showed Griet how to make paint by grinding up different materials with a muller. Griet finds she is not as quick as the artist, but Vermeer mentions that some materials are ea sier than others to grind. Griet often rubs the paste in between her fingers to check for consistency. Also, the finer the materials were ground, the brighter the colors. Vermeer often used linseed oil and white lead, and bones while creating his paints.Most things in everyday life are made up of many colors that the average person never takes the time to notice. Vermeer first explains this to Griet when he is pointing out the colors of the clouds. Many people would describe clouds as plain white, but Vermeer and Griet point out that many colors make up clouds and they are not pure white. Vermeer carries this thought throughout all his paintings. Vermeer focuses on great tones and hues in his painting making him stand apart from other artists of his time. Light is very important to the painting process, but Vermeer put a special focus on the way that light can affect paint.Vermeer’s studio was where he spent most of his time and it had to be just so. The windows were kept dir ty because the dirt buildup changed the amount of light in the room, and Vermeer was particular about how much light he let in. Vermeer’s paintings showed his knowledge of light because he used it to bring much realism to his work. The use of Camera obscura is another one of Vermeer’s techniques. A Camera obscura is an optical device that projects an image of its surroundings on a screen. Vermeer showed the Camera obscura to Griet and took the opportunity to get closer to her as they look through the small hole.The Camera obscura helps to see composition and color. Sometimes, a camera Obscura is used to trace the outline of the paint onto the canvas. All in all, Vermeer was an artist ahead of his time who employed many different painting techniques that were revolutionary at the time. By Vermeer taking on Griet as an assistant he introduced her to the world of paint and how it can affect people’s perceptions in everyday life. Griet never thought being a maid and assistant to Vermeer would lead to infamous painting that is called today’s Dutch Mona Lisa.

New Product Development Essay

This literature review shall be reviewing journal articles that discuss the importance of the Fuzzy Front End Phase to the processes involving the development of new products. It would first give an overview of the role the Fuzzy Front End Phase has on new product development. The factors and characteristics of the said phase would also be presented to gain a better understanding of the topic at hand. Afterwards, it would review the different articles written about the topic using three perspectives: (1) organizational; (2) environmental; and finally, (3) individual. Of the aforementioned perspectives, this literature review would focus on the third one, the individual. A number of authors have recognized the important role that the fuzzy front end phase has on new product development (Ottenbacher, Shaw and Ermen 2006; Drexkler 2006). The study of Reid and Brenanti (2004) was one of the researches that give importance to the role of the fuzzy front end phase in ensuring the success of the whole process of new product development. In technology-based enterprises, transforming different forms of technologies into new products and processes is one of the greatest challenges. It is then within the said process of innovating these technologies that the early phase of the FFE (Fuzzy Front End) is said to have the greatest impact not just to the process but also to the result as it would significantly affect the design and the costs of the said project. Unfortunately however, this particular stage according to both Herstatt and Verworn (2004) is the least well-structured part of the whole innovation process, looking at both theory and practice. Herstatt and Verworn (2001), Kim and Wilemon (2002) and Kohn (2006) all recognize the fact that the competitive nature of today’s society are pushing for the development of innovative and unique products in a faster pace yet at a lesser cost. Manufacturing firms, without a doubt, are developing new products and it is because of this that they give so much importance to the New Product Development Processes. However, despite the tremendous focus to this particular stage, Herstatt and Verworn (2000) note that failure rates remain high. As a result, many researchers as well as practitioners within the manufacturing industry are in constant search of finding ways by which they could make the New Product Development Process successful. One of the greatest opportunities to improve the stage, as indicated by some of the researchers such as Herstatt and Verworn (2000) is through the fuzzy front end or the pre-development phase. Moreover, Herstatt and Verworn (2000) developed a causal model in order to pave the way for a better understanding of the fuzzy front end phase and its role in ensuring the success of new product development. Figure 1. The Four Important Front End Factors (Herstatt and Verworn 2000) Looking from the model presented above, one could see the four important front end factors that help in the improvement of communication and at the same time, reduce the deviations that the firms may encounter during the execution of their project. In the same manner, the factors could also help in increasing the efficiency and satisfaction of the research and development (R&D) managers with regard to the project. Herstatt and Verworn (2000) list the following as the factors that are very important to the fuzzy front end phase: (1) interdisciplinary idea generation and selection; (2) reduction of market uncertainty; (3) reduction of technical uncertainty; and finally, (4) intensity of initial planning. The first factor mentioned by Herstatt and Verworn (2000) was interdisciplinary idea generation and selection. According to the authors, this includes the process of incorporating different functions into the generation and selection of new product ideas. It is usually a combination of the identification of an organization’s need problem or opportunity together and the purpose they have in order to satisfy these. Afterwards, they go directly to the reduction of uncertainties since these are already usually present with the first factor. The second factor is the reduction of market uncertainty. According to Herstatt and Verworn (2000), this particular factor refers to the knowledge that organizations have about their target markets and customers as well as the needs of their users. Furthermore, Ottenbacher, Shaw and Ermen (2006) assert that this knowledge could help them understand the attractiveness of their new products based on the perspective of their market and how they could continuously develop the said product. Through the fuzzy front end phase, manufacturing firms that are involved in the development of new products are able to reduce the uncertainties of their projects. However, Herstatt and Verworn (2000) stress the need to look into technical uncertainties during the fuzzy front end phase rather than giving too much emphasis on the market. This is because of the fact that it is through this knowledge that they will be able to identify whether or not they have the necessary technology and requirements to make their projects feasible. Lastly, the factor initial planning must be considered in order to guarantee the success of new product development. According to the authors and developers of the causal model, this factor helps in translating the overall project goals into a series of activities, properly allocating the resources for each phase (Belliveau, Griffin and Somermeyer 2007; De Jong and Vermeulen 2006). Likewise, Koen et al (2001; 2002) views the fuzzy front end as a phase wherein a set of activities happen that are essential to the process of New Product Development or NPD. They describe these activities as something chaotic, unpredictable and unstructured, something that Kim and Wilemon (2002) concur with. Kim and Wilemon (2002) describes the FFE phase as something filled with fuzziness, ambiguity and uncertainty. In fact, stages are often performed in an environment where there are many unknown factors. In the same manner, the information to be used for decision making are rather more informal and approximate rather than quantitative, formal and precise. Fuzziness, for Kim and Wilemon (2002) usually comes out from a firm’s uncertainty regarding their technical capabilities in making a certain project or product feasible. It also comes from their lack of knowledge with regard to the requirements of their customers, their markets, the resources required of them, the ability of the company in pursuing this project, taking into consideration their capabilities and limits. Aside from being the phase wherein these uncertainties are identified, the fuzzy front end helps in the elimination of these risks in order to ensure the success of the next development processes. In summary, the fuzzy front end phase of product innovation is generally concerned with the development of certain concepts regarding the product that is essential to its innovation and development (Audretsch and Acs, 1991). The development of a clear product concept during the FFE stage allows the different enterprises to clearly understand factors essential to the development of products which include time, costs, required technical expertise, the formation of the right development team, market potential and positioning, risk and organizational fit. It generally helps in avoiding decisions that are costly and risky (Beck, et al. , n. d. ). Although it generally contributes to the successes of the whole process concerning new product development, the FFE stage is not spared from limitations and advantages. Processes involved in the fuzzy front end phase of product innovation generally face different delays especially those related with costs. During this particular phase, different activities are usually carried out during under different conditions. Unfortunately, there are barriers that exist in every situation, hampering the success of these activities. The following are the barriers to the FFE phase: (1) lack of vision, (2) lack of perceived urgency. (3) lack of formalization, (4) lack of effective project leadership, (4) ineffective communication processes and finally, (5) ineffective people conducting the work associated with the Fuzzy Front End phase of product innovation. The Fuzzy Front End Phase: An Environmental Perspective This part, as the heading implies would discuss the Fuzzy Front End Phase and its importance based on the environmental perspective. It would look into the views and researches conducted by scholars who had been long been respected in the field: (1) Herstatt and Verworn; (2) Khurana and Rosenthal; (3) Kim and Wilemon; (4) Reid and Brentani; (5) Koen; (6) Garcia and Calantone among others. According to Brentani and Reid (2004), the environmental perspective has been one of the most important approaches in studying fuzzy front end as an essential part of new product development and innovation. Brentani and Reid (2004) defines the environmental perspective as that which views three aspects (industry, institutional and country) as impacting innovation. The idea that the fuzzy front end involves processes of information gathering and adoption from the environment is based on the assumption that the environmental external to the firm is the primary source of new ideas for discontinuous innovations that even in-house ideas ultimately have some input from external sources (Brentani and Reid 2004). Eldredge and Gould (1972), on the other hand, note that according to the first perspective, innovation processes fail to continue because of certain phenomena affecting the environmental level. They further state that †¦ While organizational species change little during most of their history, random events can foster rapid speciation, thereby punctuating or interrupting this stability and resulting in concentrated periods of change and new paths of evolution. Authors who come from the environmental perspective of the fuzzy front end phase usually looks into innovation coming from a macro-level. The usually make use of the historical industrial analyses in order to examine the long-run nature and economic impact of failed innovations, Brentani and Reid (2004) mention. Furthermore, the environmental perspective promotes the idea that companies must be able to exhibit an advantage over the other members of the industry in order to stay alive despite the presence of a fierce competition. In order to establish this advantage, they must be able to produce products at a faster rate using technologies that only they have. Moreover, it is also due to this that firms are encouraged to first look into their environment of operation before actually proceeding on to the development of new products (Griffin, Hoffman, Price and Vojak 2007; Montoya-Weiss and O’Driscoll 2007). Because of this, firms once again innovate depending on what their environment requires of them. Quinn (1985, in Brentani and Reid 2004) says: Technology tends to advance through a series of random insights frequently triggered by gratuitous interactions between the discoverer and the outside world. These interactions provide the new combinations of old elements. . . The accelerated world of today demands manufacturing firms to be more competent in terms of the production of new products and at the same time, speed up their development processes (Griffiths-Hemans and Grover 2006; Zhang, Lim, Cao 2004). All organizations nowadays have recognized the importance of innovation in order to become successful today, tomorrow and in the near future (Resources for Success 2006). However, new product development for technologically advanced industries is facing many difficulties and uncertainties. Furthermore, the environment perspective of analyzing the fuzzy front end phase of new product development must also pay attention to what kind of products that a manufacturing firm must be able to produce. The study of Koen (2006) will be presented towards the latter part of this section that could give a better understanding of the different kinds of products and the appropriate FFE process that could be used for this. Garcia and Calantone (2002) and Broring and Leker (2007), on the other hand, note that the different strategies being used by the manufacturing firms must be positively related with their organizational structure which must then be patterned after the competitive environment of the industry to which they belong to. Brentani and Reid (2004) further states that in order to understand the fuzzy front end phase using this perspective, one must understand that the environment plays a very important role in the decisions made by individuals who are exposed to early information regarding technology. It is because of this that Kim and Wilemon (2002) give importance to the introduction of technologically challenging products at the right time as one of the so-called success factor for firms living in today’s world wherein innovation becomes more important. An example of this would be companies that are being threatened by a situation wherein a competitor is on the verge of taking away its business due to the introduction of a new product. Failure to respond to the competitor’s action could mean the loss of a certain firm’s market share and profits. Undoubtedly, the importance of the fuzzy front end phase is once again highlighted. Kim and Wilemon (n. d. ) concur with the claims of various researchers that the fuzzy front end phase is a topic that is usually neglected in the literature discussing new product development. This is because of the fact that scholars would usually focus on the efficiency of the firms’ processes rather than examining the fuzzy front end phase which is said to be important in cutting down cycle time. Thus, the said phase is given much importance in terms of its ability to make a critical contribution to the success of new products (Weissenberger-Eibl and Koch 2007). According to Kim and Wilemon (n. d. ), the following are the prime goals that are usually addressed in the fuzzy front end phase: (1) selecting the right opportunity; (2) producing a well-defined product concept; and finally, (3) clarifying customer and project requirements before the actual development of the new product. It is then because of this that developers who are well experienced in the entire process are becoming more attracted to investing considerable time and money in this stage to ensure that the project is feasible. Kohn (2006) shares the same view with Kim and Wilemon (2002). According to the said author, for members of the mature industries that are exposed to fierce competition, the processes regarding new product development gains tremendous importance. This is due to the fact that they are in faced with challenges of producing new, unique products at a shorter period of time and at lower costs. However, the new product development process fails to guarantee the firms as it is said to cause both time delays and substantial increases in cost. As a result, more and more researchers are giving more importance to an early phase where the functions and other factors related to the development of new products would be examined and analyzed. Khurana and Rosenthal (1997) also mentioned some of these factors in their discussion of the fuzzy front end process in order to give an in depth analysis on how this could help in ensuring the success of new product development. All the activities included in the fuzzy front end phase of product development are individual activities which are logically related to each other. The description provided for the process should be analyzed based on concepts such as product ideas, market analysis and technology options. Because of this, it is but proper to understand the relationships that exist between the different activities involved in the fuzzy front end phase of product development. The main focus should be placed on product strategy and portfolio plans. Focusing on these two would ensure that the development of the product jives with that of the capabilities and competencies of the companies developing them yet at the same time, recognizing limitations such as roles, communications and finally, culture. The aforementioned elements thus can be seen as having played very important roles as they serve as preconditions or foundations for the many activities that a certain enterprise would undergo as part of their new product development process. As a result, companies implemented a phase-review management system to define and serve as guidance for these project-specific activities (Wycoff, 2003). Companies usually begin working on new product opportunities, usually referred to as pre-phase zero when they begin to see an opportunity for their businesses. If they see that the exploration for this opportunity could be beneficial to their businesses, they then assign a small group which may or may not include suppliers to join forces in the development of the product’s concept and definition (this is where phase zero then begins). Phase one immediately happens after phase zero. It is in this particular phase wherein the enterprises examine the feasibility of their project (at the business and technical level). It is also in this particular phase wherein these companies start preparing and planning for their NPD (new product development) project. The development team then identifies the new product, how it could be developed and the rationale for the business proceeding behind it. The fuzzy front end phase then ends upon the completion of this phase wherein the team presents the business case and the business units involve would then choose between the commitment to fund, staff and launch the project or kill it (Montoya-Weiss and O’Driscoll 2007). Khurana and Rosenthal (1997) also give importance to activities which are product-specific and must be present during the fuzzy front end phase. Product-specific front-end activities are essential in making product concepts clear. At the same time, it also gives specific definitions to both product and market requirements; it also aids in the development of plans, schedules and estimates how much resources does one product need. However, the limiting factor that is associated with these elements is the fact that they could not create detailed designs and other specifications for the product and its other parts (Broring and Leker 2007). Generally, Khurana and Rosenthal (1997) defines product concept as one of the basic steps wherein (1) customer needs, (2) market segments, (3) competitive situations, (4) business prospects and (5) alignment with existing business and technology plans are identified. Studies made states that the different product concepts must be clearly defined so that the managers could identify the opportunities that could be beneficial for their companies. They must be able to identify and understand what their consumers need and at the same time, recognize the available technologies and applications that they could use in satisfying these wants and needs. In illustrating intangible products, one could sketch a three-dimensional of such products to be able to understand and identify the wants and needs of the consumers. Herstatt and Verworn (2000) also recognize the presence of these factors as a vital part of the causal model they developed in order to understand the fuzzy front end phase as an essential aspect of the new product development process. As seen from the aforementioned discussion, Herstatt and Verworn adopted the factors of the fuzzy front end phase as presented by Khurana and Rosenthal (1997). According to the authors, these factors are an essential part of the fuzzy front end phase in order to ensure the success of New Product Development. Basically, the identification of these would help the companies pinpoint their needs as an organization and the manner by which these could be achieved. In this manner, they will be able to identify the product that they have to produce in order to stay alive despite being in the midst of competition. Aside from this, the fuzzy front end phase also helps organizations in determining their market and technical uncertainties. This would help them understand their target markets, their customers and their needs, the potential of their products vis-a-vis the market, and finally, the attractiveness of their product when introduced to the market. On the other hand, it could also give them a better understanding of the capabilities and limitations they have as a company. This is because both market pull and technology push are becoming more important to recent times. Traditionally, most products were distinguished as either driven by the customer (or markets), also known as market pull or affected by recent technological advancements, also referred to as technology push. Bretani and Reid (2004) stresses on this matter by identifying two kinds of technology: (1) generic technologies and (2) application technologies. Generic technologies are defined as those required to manufacture the products and are held widely by all participants that get involved in the industry. On the other hand, application technologies are those that distinguish the organization from the competition and that are developed systematically within the firm building on generic technologies.

Notes On Charles Orwell s The Hell - 1346 Words

Dianne Lam 1328 words 9100 St. Charles Rock Road St. Louis, MO 63114 (314) 493-6100 lamd710@ritenourschools.org Hostage: Part 1 by Dianne Lam It’s 11:15 P.M. on a humid, Thursday night. My group of friends are sitting in my basement, brainstorming on what to do to pass time. As everyone is rambling on, I glance over at Don, who’s isolated himself outside the circle to scroll along his phone. We begin yelling at each other and getting furious with the emptiness coming to our minds; then Don looks up and whispers, â€Å"What about Hostage?† We all glance around at each other, seeing if someone could explain what just happened.†¦show more content†¦Stone cold. Don knows what he’s gotten everyone into, and so do I. He tries to make it more enjoyable; so, he slaps on a smile and continues on with the rules. â€Å"Once you have dropped off your hostage, someone from each team, who is not the driver, will call each other and give them a vague hint as to where the other team member is. Such as saying, ‘Bow and Arrow ’ if you drop them off at Target. After that, it’s completely up to the other team to find them within 3 hours.† A moment of silence occurred until Clark exclaimed, â€Å"I’m down! Let’s get this game going!† Everyone was super excited and pumped to play, until the dreadful question came along, †Who wants to be the hostage?† asked Don. Crickets. No one said a word. â€Å"Okay then, I guess I will be for my team† uttered Don. Janet squeals at Clark, â€Å"Come on, big shot! Be a man and sacrifice yourself!† Shaking at the thought of it, Clark agrees. As the teams begin for the adventure they’re about to embark on, Don says one final thing, â€Å"Oh yeah! As a hostage, you must follow the three simple rules. You must stay in the location that you were dropped off at. You must stay outside so that your team can easily spot you. And most importantly, no phones.† Pissed as ever, Clark yells, â€Å"What if something goes wrong? You want me to die? Nothing’s going to happen.† Don chuckles, â€Å"Why do you think we don’t let the girls be the hostages?† Clark shrugs in agreement and they both toss their phones on the basement

Interview Paper - 1441 Words

S is a 59 year old African-American female born and raised in Anson County who has attended several institutes of higher learning. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Secretarial Administration from Barber-Scotia College, she later received special education teaching licensure from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Because of her love for learning, S has also taken online classes through the University of Phoenix. She has been a secondary special education teacher for three years and currently works with 8th graders at Anson Middle School. Also reared in Anson County, J is a 32 year old Caucasian male who earned a degree in history and international studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. His love of†¦show more content†¦According to J, truly democratic classrooms are not possible particularly at the middle school level; few students at this age have the maturity for such a model to work. There are certainly those few that take their education seriously and have intellectual interests; however, the fact that they are a minority would marginalize their input in the decision making process. The ultimate authority of the teacher provides a check on everything from classroom expectations to bullying. When posed with the question whether schools have grounds to punish students for their off-campus online speech, J expressed that the implications of the question are quite broad and require some nuance in approach. Public schools do have grounds to punish students for their off-campus online speech, but only in limited and specific circumstances. Threats of violence and harassment (such as cyberbullying) directed at members of the school community should certainly be dealt with by school administration. However, online speech that is merely controversial or vulgar, without threatening the safety of a specific person or groups of people, should not be addressed by school administrators. S agreed that public schools cannot control what a student says online off-campus except when it involves the safety of the school and/or students. If a student threatens to bring harm to others, be it staff or their peers, the principalShow MoreRelatedInterview with the Vampire Paper3909 Words   |   16 PagesProfessor Radek FLM 2009-100 2 December 2011 Summary Applications Paper: Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles I have enjoyed many vampire movies over the years, long before they became the popular pop-culture genre they have become due to the success of The Twilight Saga films. One movie I have enjoyed viewing many times since its debut in 1994 is Interview with the Vampire. 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