Opinion on Fisher v. Texas

The case of Fisher vs. Texas Affirmative Action was used as a defense in a race matter. Affirmative Action was created in order to make sure that certain populations or groups of people of specific race are not outnumbered by the predominant people. It came into existence in order to battle discrimination that was developing in the last decades.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Opinion on Fisher v. Texas specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It also includes gender and allows for specific criteria to be used when selecting people for employment or other reasons. Initially, supreme courts were defending places that implemented such policies due to the fact that there was a group that would negatively interact with the minority at a specific location. This led to many cases that were won according to the procedures. Fisher vs. Texas has established case law through another matter—Grutter v. Bollinger, which w as of the same scope. As a result, a Caucasian woman was rejected to enroll in University of Texas according to her race. This was thought to be a positive influence on the local community, but she decided to file an appeal. It is crucial to note that as soon as the Affirmative Action policy was implemented, it raised some debate with regard to its ethics and morals. This criticism is far reaching, as all the cases were handled with due process and fairness of the law. From one point it is difficult to see how any segregation can be a positive thing. Not allowing any group to de admitted, even if there is a greater number of people of any race, is still discrimination.[1] This case is important because it has historical significance in relation to other similar cases, especially amongst teaching institutions. People should not be denied education in case they are different from the desired group. Also, it is close to impossible to establish if there are any benefits is segregating c ertain underrepresented groups within a community. There are various constitutional issues that are connected to this legislation. These arguments focus on the consistency of the legislation with the constitution. This policy needs to be amended because it violates the rights of people. The criteria for deciding whether the policy should be adjusted are to be established, so that the evaluation for probability of representation is conducted in tandem with the court hearing. The court should apply the law to those areas where discrimination is harming people and preventing them from getting into a community. At the same time, the circumstances of the case play an important role, as even sometimes there could be factors that might turn out to be negative. For example, if the woman would be harassed because of the particular environment she was getting herself in, it could be wiser to acknowledge the possibility that it will happen.Advertising Looking for assessment on political s ciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As long as she received the proper knowledge about the situation and gets a chance to decide for herself, then it would be appropriate. Overall, the system should consider the reasons and the existing consequences. The Affirmative Action policy works only for special cases. Its weaknesses outweigh the perceived benefits. The initiation of this policy reflects a fault in the judiciary system, as it fails to live up to the expectation of the society and the multicultural location of some public institutions. Not to mention that is clearly victimizes individuals who are rightfully entitled to freedom and a fair chance at employment or education. Changes in the facilities must be made to ensure that people undergo environmental assimilation once they pass through the system.[2] If the matter was upheld, the society would be affected in a negative way. Places where people of specific race would w ant to exclude everyone else would appear. This would provide for unfair distribution of resources and access to specific facilities or other places. The society must understand that visual differences are only topical and in order to change the social fabric of a nation, people must be educated about the true differences between people and the value of race. The court has to perceive a high degree surety that the probability of the personal, physical or mental harm is inevitable. However, there is sometimes likelihood that a judge may commit fundamental attribution error in his or her decision to apply Affirmative Action, leading to unfair treatment and rights violations. Sometimes the evidence presented points in the wrong direction and does not allow objective and fair decision to be made. People of social and psychological education are often instrumental in providing testimony, but their perspective or recollection of events might be skewed from the truth. Sufficient studies an d research must be objectionable and give full credit to people who want to enter a specific community that might want to implement the policy. Overall, each case is unique and should be closely taken apart. Bibliography Barnett, Hilarie. Constitutional Administrative Law. London, England: Routledge, 2012. â€Å"Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin et al.† Supreme Court of the United States, 2012. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/11-345_l5gm.pdfAdvertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Opinion on Fisher v. Texas specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Footnotes â€Å"Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin et al.† Supreme Court of the United States, 2012. Hilaire Barnett. Constitutional Administrative Law. (London, England: Routledge, 2012). This assessment on Opinion on Fisher v. Texas was written and submitted by user Livia Hobbs to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Without Limits essays

Without Limits essays Without Limits - Movie Review Words - 1,111 The movie Without Limits takes place in Munich Germany during the 1972 Olympics. This movie is about hopes, dreams, and ambitions. During the late '60s and early '70s, Steve Prefontaine single-handedly revitalized the sport of track transforming it from a college activity to a major national interest. Prefontaine became something of a hero who brought his sport into the headlines. It focuses on the star's rough personality and his refusal to pace himself; the only way he wanted to win was by `` leading all the way.'' Prefontaine wanted to fulfill and accomplish his goals. Although people thought he didnt have the potential and the physical ability to complete his dream he still thought positive and looked forward into accomplishing what he believed he could accomplish. His legs were short for a runner and of unequal length. Prefontaine returns to Oregon as an amateur who is expected to work at basic jobs, he becomes a bartender and lives at the poverty line he gets a mobile home whi le he is training for the next Olympics. Other countries support their athletes, and Prefontaine becomes a leader of a campaign to change America's rules. During this running of his campaign Prefontaine makes no attempts to win friends. Prefontaine did accomplish his goals and more than people thought he could have achieved he set world wide records and some which still stand today. After setting numerous American and collegiate records, Prefontaine was known world wide at this point and was ready for the world stage. Prefontaine participated in the 1972 Olympics and was the center of attention. He let the people down and those who started to believe and have little hope for him. Prefontaine then came in a disappointing fourth. Following the loss, Prefontaine went into a state of depression. He then recovered, and was preparing for the 1976 Olympics, when, at the age of 24 in 1975, he was killed in a s...

Finance analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Finance analysis - Essay Example In this study, it was required to compute the Net Present Value of a project for a given company and make a recommendation on whether the project is worthwhile or not. The NPV of a project is the difference between the present values of its cash inflows and its cash outlays. The NPV technique makes use of the discounted cash flow method and discounts the cash flows at the rate of the cost of capital (Smart & Megginson, 2008, p. 261). Additionally, this paper includes designing a capital budgeting model that can be used to evaluated similar projects. Research on Model Design The conventional use of financial models is to evaluate the financial feasibility of a proposed investment. Such models can be utilized to investigate the various investment alternatives that are available, in order to choose the most viable one. Generally financial models are designed to assess a particular capital budgeting project. Capital budgeting choices are supposed to be based on cash flows, instead of acc ounting profits. Additionally it is the incremental cash flows that are applicable. In general, a project is undertaken if the NPV of the incremental cash flows generated from it is found to be positive. However, there may be instances when a Company has multiple projects to choose from but due to budget constraint, the firm’s management might not be able to select all the projects that have a positive NPV. In such cases, the projects having higher values of NPV are opted over those which have inferior NPV values. When the projects are mutually exclusive, the one having the highest NPV is chosen and the others rejected (Gallagher & Andrew, 2007, p. 270). It is known that spreadsheets are suitable and very useful device that are utilized in the assessment of capital projects. The most common methods used in these models are the NPV and the IRR, though other methods like payback period and accounting return are also used. The review of literature revealed that the most popular and publicly available capital budgeting models were the one created for assessing investments in forestry. Some of these models comprise of the FARMTREE model, Agro Forestry Estate model, Australian Farm Forestry Financial Model and the Australian Cabinet Timbers Financial Model (Dayananda et al, 2002, pp. 237-240). These models are designed to evaluate forestry investments and owing to their large scale and exclusive requirement are complicated in nature. On the other hand, the model prepared for the appraisal of the MP3 player project has been built according to its customized requirements and hence best suited. This model is user friendly and even a layman would be comfortable using it for appraising similar projects. The model has been so created, that even if the input variables and the associated relationships are changed, the model would be able to accommodate the changes. Capital Budgeting Model and the explanation of the Outputs For the calculation of the NPV of the new MP 3 player production project that is being considered by the Company, it is crucial to determine the cash flows related to the project. The cash flows can be grouped as follows: Initial capital outflow Operating cash flow during the project’s life (in this case: 5 years) Cash flow during the terminal year of the project The initial capital outflow of the company included the training cost, the retirement package, the working capital requirement and the equipment cost, i.e. $158,701,000. The components of the operating cash flows in the next five years have

Media Impact on People's Thoughts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Media Impact on People's Thoughts - Essay Example This was due to the largely favorable presentation of the war in the media, such as the images of Saddam’s statue being pulled down, and President Bush stepping off a plane to a banner proclaiming victory in Iraq. Selective reporting, biased reporting, or the manner in which certain issues are highlighted while others are glossed over can elevate or diminish the significance of an issue in the mind of the public. During the initial weeks of the war, there was widespread media coverage of President Bush giving pep talks at military locations and negative reaction to the war was sparingly reported. The opposition of France and other European countries to Iraq was sparingly reported while those in the Senate who opposed the war received no media coverage. The public also had the image of the prior Iraq war in mind, which was concluded quickly and painlessly and expected the second war to follow the same path. However, media images in America began to change as the war continued. For example, one local television news program aired a fifteen-minute segment each evening when it focused on the body of one dead soldier in a brief eulogy. The persistent images of dead American soldiers presented every night have subtly influenced public opinion so that the once favorable opinion of the public has been altered. By the end of 2003, polls were showing public support down to 50% from 70%. The impact of the images of the dead is evident from the words of former tanker Ed Collins, now 82, who says, â€Å"When is it going to stop? We’re losing a lot of youngsters.† The perception that lives are being lost is brought forcefully into the public consciousness through the personalized eulogy for each soldier presented in TV programs such as those mentioned above. According to polling experts, Americans are more sensitive to casualties in this Iraq war because they see no vital interests at stake to  justify the deaths which are taking place.  

Brain on Ted Radio Hour Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Brain on Ted Radio Hour - Assignment Example fine beaches and very beautiful scenery at their home areas, but they would still prefer to go holidaying in Hawai due to the perceived value and fame associated with the brand. Most ladies, fashionistas and stores believe that certain clothing brands such as Prada are quality hence they should be expensive. Despite having another brand with the same type of material, the history of Prada and certain designs still gets them associated with class and common amongst celebrities and the rich. In conclusion, I agree with the speaker that our beliefs determine our response to products. Such beliefs are what give a brand the value it receives in the market and lays the foundation that becomes the history upon which it is evaluated in future. I base my agreement with the speaker on the fact that the human brain mostly relates quality with what is trending or common rather than the utility of the product. This is proven by the common occurrence that whatever is expensive is always perceived to be of

Implementing and Adopting Innovation: Case Study of Skype

Implementing and Adopting Innovation: Case Study of Skype The present assignment focuses on a real business situation which involves the implementation and adoption of innovation. The case study is comprised of four primary parts which explore the process of innovation development, the promoters of innovation, the internal and external reaction within business resources and the likely strategic implications and business model for further development which can be proposed. In this respect, the assignment explores Skype as an example of business organisation which adopts innovation on a continuous basis and the various strategic implications to which this behaviour is associated. Skype is an information communication technology (ICT) which is one of the most popular products used by different consumer segments in the process of communicating over the Internet. This platform provides users with the opportunity to communicate and interact via a low cost channel. The companys growth is promoted by the continuous internationalisation and globalisation of markets. Moreover, not only continuous internationalisation influences the development of Skype, but Skype itself can be seen as a promoter of globalisation removal of market and country boundaries. In this context, Skype has grown through the continuous application of incremental innovation. The company has been adopting innovative applications and targeting different customer segments through the products and services provided. However, the present assignment would not only explore these strategy approaches to competitiveness but primarily focuses on the organisational and structural innovation of Skype. The report particularly focuses on the acquisition of Skype by E-bay and the organisation implication this has. Pay Pal as another integrative part of this acquisition is also presented and discussed. Innovation Characteristics Innovation management and development has grown as one of the most popular fields within social sciences. It has attracted the interest of scholars for many years. For example, Schumpeter (1950) who is the pioneer within the discipline proposes that innovation is the development of a novel solution which alters past perceptions. Schumpeter (1950) characterised the process of innovation development with the concept of creative destruction explaining that innovation restructures the way past patterns are perceived through the implementation of novelty (Hospers, 2005). However, it is essential to be outlined that innovation is not only characterised by its novel characteristics but by the commercial importance which it has (Tidd et al., 2005). In other words, an innovative solution is both new and applicable to the respective market. Apart from the above mentioned characteristics, it is also important to be outlined that innovation can be recognised in different forms and degrees. For example, innovation can be seen primarily as incremental and radical (Afuah, 2003). Incremental innovation occurs when little novel changes are applied within an organisation (Tidd et al., 2005). It is often that incremental innovation is practiced on a continuous basis and thus is known as a process of continuous improvement which has applications in companies as Toyota and their total quality management (TQM) core strategic values (Afuah, 2003; Bessan and Francis, 1999). Contrary to the incremental innovation, the radical one is characterised with profound changes within an enterprise (Francis and Bessant, 2005). Apart from the degree of innovativeness, it is also important to be outlined that business organisations can exploit different types of innovation. The academic literature mainly outlines two main types such as product and process innovation (Boer and During, 2001; Damapur and Evans, 1984). As it can be logically proposed based on the names, the product innovation mainly concerns the products and the process innovation is implemented within the business processes to promote efficiency and effectiveness (DiLiello and Houghton, 2008). However, apart from product and process innovation, organsiational innovation is also seen as another essential type. In this context, the present analysis is specifically focuses on organisational innovation in the case of E-Bays acquisition of Skype and how this affected to the mutual organisational innovativeness. The organsiational innovativeness is mutual as this acquisition has affected both parties in a unique way (Hof, 2005). However, it should be also underlined that as E-bay has adopted and largely promoted the payment platform Pay Pal therefore the implications which Pay Pal has on Skype should be also considered (Vitzthum and Konsynski, 2009). The organisational impact which this acquisition has on Skype is substantial. On the one hand, Skype has been having significant popularity in Europe and Asia but lacked high exposure in the large American market. In this respect, as E-bay is one of the leading e-commerce platforms n the US therefore Skype would be able to benefit for such co-operation. However, the innovative characteristics of this venture do not come from the increased market exposure but from the integration of three different business models: Skype, E-bay and Pay Pal. This can be identified as a clear example of Schumpeters creative destruction, when old and orthodox patterns are substituted by novel behaviour (Hospers, 2005; Schumpeter, 1950). Furthermore, the characteristics of this organisational innovation not only should be identified within the structural implications only but also in relation to internal business resources. For example, organisational innovation promotes the interaction between different groups of employees which as a return increases the creative capability of the enterprise due to continuous knowledge-sharing and idea generation (Tushman and OReilly, 1997). This is the reason why, through this acquisition, Skype not only does gain the opportunity to get popularised within different markets but also benefit from the exchange of insight. Human resource management and in particular the collaborative performance of employees is essential to the promotion of innovation (Dodgson and Rothw, 1994). In other words, organisational innovation can promote the development of other types of innovation, such as process and product innovation as part of the internal collaborative processes. Triggers and Promoters of the Innovation The triggers and promoters of innovation can be divided into internal and external ones. The internal triggers in the present case are the desire of E-bay and Skype to grow in greater capabilities and competitiveness within diverse markets. As it was already outlined Skype had good exposure in Europe and Asia but lacked the same success in United States (Vitzthum and Konsynski, 2009). On the contrary, Skype as a prominent e-commerce platform in the US lacked significant exposure to European and Asian consumers as opposite to the intensive revenue generation in North America (Amber, 2000). Furthermore, the third element in this partnership, Pay Pal at the time of the merger was still in the beginning of its growth and therefore this collaboration looked highly positive to Pay Pals increased business capabilities and market reach. Apart from the internal drive which is always a highly influential promoter of innovation and business competitiveness, the external environment can be suggested to be another substantial stimulus to this acquisition. For example, globalisation and the continuously intensified communication between international customers influence technological development and therefore information and communication technologies as Skype have substantial opportunity to grow. Furthermore, another important trigger to the organisation is the increased market competitiveness. The adoption of innovation is generally associated to both positive and negative external sources. As it is in the present case, these are the market opportunities which the acquisition provides and the industrial competitiveness and threats which may have negative impact on the performance of the organisations. The internal and external sources of innovation, however, should not be perceived as ultimately separate entities. For example, the internal strengths of a business contribute to the business ability to exploit external opportunities and overcome external threats. In this respect, the resource based view (RBV) theory can be used as an analogue, suggesting that a firms strength derives from its internal dynamics and this promotes business continuous competitiveness (Barney, 2001). In the present context, it can be proposed that the current case of organisational restructuring and innovation affects the increased resource capabilities of the business and thus promotes the ventures greater competitiveness. Reactions to the Adopted Innovation As Joseph Schumpeter suggests, innovation is a phenomenon which causes disruption and change (Hospers, 2006; Schumpeter, 1950). This is the reason why, innovation and all processes related to its adoption creates certain internal and external reaction. In the present case, the reactions of E-bays acquisition of Skype and integration of Pay Pal cannot be assessed entirely from internal perspective as the author of the present report cannot access this internal information. However, there are certain outcomes which can be clearly recognised in the academic literature which can be conceptually and theoretically integrated in the current analysis. One of the primary reactions which can be identified in the internal environment of a company when innovation is adopted is the rejection by employees to accept the proposed change (Hiatt and Creasey, 2003). This is especially common in the cases of organisational restructuring which is resulted by mergers and acquisitions (Fedor and Harold, 2004). Employees perceive this as a risk to their career and job stability. However, the present acquisition cannot be recognised with any major physical and structural transformations and therefore it may not have had such a substantial impact over employees. Another reaction which can be identified with such a horizontal diversification and organisational innovation is seen within the external context and in particular in customers and competitors (Cook, 2004). For example, customers become interested in the collaborative propositions which the brands are likely to provide. For example, Skype has been continuously innovating and applying some incremental innovations and improvements due to the wider market share the company is exposed to. This is the reason why, Skype has developed various video and communication application within its platform to fit the needs of multiple customer segments. This is true innovation, not only it needs to be novel but it also need to have commercial and market value (Damanpour, 1991). Strategic Characteristics The present case reveals an innovative organisational situation the acquisition of E-bay of Skype. This is an approach of horizontal diversification by E-bay which not only does have substantial impacts on E-bay but on Skype as well. This is an example of the interconnectivity of innovation it cannot be conducted in isolation and it has effect on multiple business aspects. For example, the organisational innovation resulted in Skypes producing a continuous incremental innovation, developing and introducing new applications to fit the needs of various segments. The platform introduced multiple video streaming which is highly applicable to ordinary users, families and business conferencing. This multiple application of innovation is exactly the purpose and value of the phenomenon. It is important to be underlined that innovation is a powerful source of competitiveness but it needs significant internal commitment. This is the reason why, leadership can be recognised as essential promoter of innovative behaviour. Leadership is the process which motivates and inspires organisational commitment. In the context of incremental innovation, employees need to be continuously committed to promote the innovative performance of the business. Leadership, however, should not be confused with management as these are different approaches to people management, development and co-ordination. Management can be explained as the process of executing business processes and operations in an efficient manner whereas leadership is the approach of doing the right things identifying solutions where no structure guidance exists. This is the reason why leadership is needed to stimulate employees commitment to innovation (Alves et al., 2007). People management and team work are essential to innovation development as this process stimulate idea generation and knowledge sharing between different individuals which is synthesised in the creation of a novel and meaningful solution. References Afuah. A. (2003) Innovation Management. (2nd ed.) Oxford: Oxford University Press. Alves, J., Marques, M., Saur, I. and Marques, P. (2007) Creativity and Innovation through Multidisciplinary and Multisectoral Cooperation, Creativity and Innovation Management, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 27 34. Anon (2008) Change management and employee motivation: the balancing act [online]. Available from: http://www.articlesbase.com/recruitment-articles/change-management-and-employee-motivation-the-balancing-act-672944.html [Accessed: 04/05/11] Barney, J. (2001) Is the Resource-Based Theory a Useful Perspective for Strategic Management Research?.Yes., Journal of Management, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 99 120. Barney, J., Wright, M. and Ketchen Jr., D. (2001) The resource-based view of the firm: Ten years after 1991.,Journal of Management, vol. 27, no. 6, pp. 625 641. Bennet, B (2009) Change management: Motivation [online]. Available from: http://billbennett.co.nz/2009/09/16/change-management-motivation/ [Accessed: 04/04/11] Bessant, J. (2003) High Involvement Innovation. Chichester: John Wiley Sons. Bessant, J. and Francis, D. (1999) Developing strategic continuous improvement capability, International Journal of Operations Production Management. Vol. 19, No. 11, pp. 1106 1119. Boer, H. and During, W.E. (2001) Innovation. What innovation? A comparison between product, process and organisational innovation, International Journal of Technology Management, Vol. 22, No. 1/2/3, pp. 83 -107. Cook, S. (2004), Change management excellence: using the four intelligences for successful organizational, Kogan Page Publishers. Available from: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Y9BcWvY-0SMCprintsec=frontcoverdq=change+managementlr=#v=onepageq=f=false [Accessed: 04/03/11]. Dahlgaard, J. J., Kristensen, K. and Kanji, K. G. (1998) Fundamental of Total Quality Management. London: Chapman Hall. Damanpour, F. (1991) Organizational Innovation: A Meta-Analysis of Effects of Determinants and Moderators, The Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 34, No. 3, pp. 555 590. Damanpour, F. and Gopalakrishnan, S. (2001) The Dynamics of the Adoption of Product and Process Innovations in Organizations, Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 45 65. Dewar, D. R. and Dutton, E. J. (1986) The Adoption of Radical and Incremental Innovations: An Empirical Analysis, Management Science, Vol. 32, No. 11, pp. 1422 1433. Fedor and Harold (2004) Effects of Change and Change Management on Employee Responses: An Overview of results from multiple studies [online]. Available from: http://www.cpbis.gatech.edu/research/workin g_papers/CPBIS-WP-04-02%20Herold_Fedor_Change%20 Management%20Fall%202004.pdf [Accessed: 04/04/11] Francis, D. and Bessant, J. (2005) Targeting innovation and implications for development, Technovation, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 171 183. Hiatt, J and Creasey (2003) Change management: the people side of change, Prosci. Available from: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id =zQTy8mk8kZYCprintsec=frontcoverdq=change+management#v=onepageq=f=false [Accessed: 04/04/11] Hof, R. (2005) Why ebay is buying Skype, Businessweek. Retrienved: 10/09, form: http://www.businessweek. com/the_thread/techbeat/archives/2005/09/why_ebay_is_buy.html. [Accessed: 05/04/11]. Hospers, J. G. (2005) Joseph Schumpeter and His Legacy in Innovation Studies, Knowledge, Technology Policy, Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 20-37. Robinson, A. (1991) Continuous Improvement In Operations. Cambridge: Productivity Press. Schumpeter, J. (1950) Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy. (3rd ed.) New York: Harper Row. Leede, de J. and Looise, K. J. (2005) Innovation and HRM: Towards an Integrated Framework, Creativity and Innovation Management, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 108 117. Tidd, J., Bessant. J. and Pavitt. K. (2005) Managing Innovation. (3rd ed.) Chichester: John Wiley Sons Ltd. Tushman, M. L. and OReilly, C. (1997) Winning through Innovation: A Practical Guide to Leading Organizational Change and Renewal. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Van de Ven, A. H., Polley. E. D., Graud. R. and Venkataraman. S. (1999) The innovation journey. New York: Oxford University Press. Vitzthum, S. and Konsynski, B. (2009) EBAYs Acquistion of Skype SA: Valuing the Voice of the Buyer, The Communications of the Association for Information Systems, vol. 24, no. 6, pp. 89 104. Table of Contents References 9 Introduction to the Case study The present cases study focuses on Apple which is one of the leading and most innovative producers of technologies and entertainment devices. The company is continuously growing in size and is attracting greater market share. In this respect, the analysis focuses on the particular product and service innovation which are provided by the organisation to sustain continuous competitiveness. It is essential to be underlined that product and process innovation should not be perceived as separate entities (Afuah, 2003). It is often that business organisation incorporate both product and process innovation as interconnected elements of a mutual strategy of industrial competitiveness (Francis and Bessant, 2005). It should be also underlined that often, process innovation is stimulated as a natural outcome of product innovativeness, it appears as a logical and complementary derivative. It is also important to be mentioned that the present case study focuses on another essential element of the development and introduction of innovation, such as business leadership. It specifically focuses on the companys most prominent decision-maker and leader Steve Jobs, and analyses his approaches to business management and innovation leadership. Innovation Types and Characteristics As already revealed in the previous case study, innovation is a popular phenomenon which pioneer Joseph Schumpeter describes as the process of creative destruction. In other words, innovation is a novel solution which has commercialised applicability and significant market value (Hospers, 2005; Freeman and Soete, 1997; Kleinknecht and Mohnen, 2002). This definition clearly describes the innovation which is produced by Apple, one of the leading technological innovators. The company utilises a number of innovative products in its iPhone, iPad and iPod series of entertainment products. The innovative performance of the organisation can be recognised as highly distinctive. The company utilises and merges different types and degrees of innovativeness. The academic literature describes primarily two types of innovation such as, product and process innovation (Storey, 2000). However, often companies can utilise a mix of the two as it is in the case of Apple. The company has popular products as iPad, iPod and iPhone which are complemented by the innovative platform iTunes where users can download music and create playlists to play on their iPods. Moreover, there are hundreds if not thousands of applications which are created by Apple software developers which are downloaded and used on any of the iPad and iPhone devices. This is an example of how the company engages customers through a full life cycle they are provided with innovative products and service from the save brand which ensures long-term loyalty and re-purchase (Iacobucci and Calder, 2003; Kotler and Keller, 2008). The innovative management of products and services at Apple has been led by a management and leadership approach which can be identified with high level of confidentiality, secrecy and partial isolation. Contrary to the conceptual understanding in the academic literature that innovation is stimulate through continuous knowledge sharing and idea generation, Steve Jobs promoted an environment of micro-management and high level of internal control. However, this has led to paradoxical results Apple is continuously generating market share, profitability and above all customers loyalty (Daft et al., 2010). One of the explanations for this outcome can be related to the resource based view theory. Similarly to the previous case study on Skype and E-bay, Apple seems to be also taking advantage of the strength of its internal resources. The resource based view theory suggests that a companys success is derived from the uniqueness and competitiveness of its internal resources (Johnson and Scholes, 2008).This approach is closely related and relevant to the leadership and management initiatives practiced by Apples main decision-maker Steve Jobs. Jobs approaches to people management can be identified and strict but with high level of fairness. However, this leadership and management approach sustains certain risks as too much of micro-management and strictness may decrease employees creativity and innovative capabilities (Daft et al., 2010; Goleman, 1998). Employees are essential source to innovation development and therefore people management should stimulate an environment which promotes the expression of employees creativity and innovativeness, such as: team work; knowledge sharing; initiativeness; risk taking; company and market wide exposure (Rogers, 1995; Tushman and OReilly, 1997; Van de Ven et al., 1999). Innovation Promoters and Obstacles One of the primary promoters of Apples innovative capabilities is the significant strength of internal resources and capabilities. In other words, in order for a companys resources to be considered as contributory to the overall business competitiveness and innovativeness they need to be rare, unique and valuable not only to the particular organisation but to the market place (Barney, 2001). In this respect, the internal resources which are in possession of Apple perform in a highly competitive manner. In this context, one of the greatest promoters of the companys innovativeness is the leadership approach conducted by Jobs which focuses on growth of internal technological capacity and utilisation of internal employees skills. However, it should be underlined that this type of leadership and internal management can lead to certain problems in the company. On the one hand, the substantial commitment practiced by Jobs is a clear indicator of a strong leadership (Day, 2000; Gill, 2006). He is devoted to the wellbeing of the company and therefore he often practices micro-management. However, on the other hand, this micro-management approach can result in certain difficulties and obstacles to the production of innovation. This can reduce employees freedom to be creative and innovative, to take initiative and risks in their decision-making which are all important components in the process of innovation management and development (Daft et al., 2010; Slack et al., 2007; Tidd et al., 2005). Reactions and Restrictions to Innovation The reaction to Apples innovation can be divided into internal and external. The internal reaction is related to employees performance to the development and introduction of innovation. In the present case, Jobs is one of the primary stakeholders in this process of innovation development which can be suggested to restrict employees commitment to the process of innovation development. As it was already outline, innovation development is a process which requires a people management approach which stimulates employees creativity and innovativeness (Alves et al., 2007; Storey, 2000). Furthermore, especially in the case of a cumulative product and process innovation, employees need to be provided with company-wide exposure (Leede and Looise, 2005). In the present case, however, the manger of the company restricts employees involvement in multiple processes. This restricts the ability of employees to get inspired by different departments, responsibilities and ideas. This is fundamentally important to the process of idea generation and creative destruction, when old patterns and thinking habits are substituted by innovative solutions (Hospers, 2005). Another essential restriction which needs to be clearly outlined is the industrial isolation of Apple as compared to other brands. In other words, it can be suggested that Apple refrains from collaborating with other industrial players. On the one hand, this protection is needed in the cutting edge technological industry. On the other, hand, however, Apple misses out on opportunities for strategic partnerships, co-operative research and development, and industrial collaboration (Drucker, 1991). These are all essential components for the continuous and successful adoption of innovation. In other words, in order for a company to be able to produce product and process innovation it needs to have substantial exposure to the industry and market trends (Dodgson and Rothw, 1994). In this context, as it can be identified from Apples comparative industrial isolation which is product of Jobs autocracy management may result in certain long-term risks and unfavourable internal and external reactions. For example, employees motivation may decrease due to the lack of responsibility, ownership and team work to which they are exposed. This is the reason why, employees may become passively aggressive and thus cease being productive due to undermined professional morale. However, it is also important to be outlined that this operational isolation may also have impacts on the industrial competitiveness in the sector. Other technological companies may embrace a copy-cat approach and adopt Apples innovation, therefore Apple will face increasing competitiveness rather than fruitful industrial partnerships (Ettlie, 1999; Kleinknecht and Mohnen, 2002; Kotler and Keller, 2008). Strategy Development and Leadership Another important issue is the strategic development and continuous leadership approaches of the company. Apple is one of the leading providers of entertainment technological devices. The company utilises both product and process innovation which provides them with the opportunity to attract greater customers interest and stimulate customers loyalty which is essential to sustaining continuous revenue generation (Groucutt et al., 2004; Kotler and Keller, 2008). Apart from the combination of product and process innovation, it is interesting to be outlined that Apple also utilises different degrees of innovativeness. The academic literature outlines two primary degrees of innovative impact, such as radical and increment (Bessant, 2003). In this respect, the radical innovation produced by Apple can be recognised in the highly innovative devices which it produces. For example, the switch from walkman and CD player music devices to Apples iPod is radical. In the same sense it is the companys iPhone which is pioneer of the smart phones in the industry. However, this radical innovativeness is also accompanied by incremental novelty Apple produces different upgrades on the devices and new models are released each year. This type of industrial performance has highly influential marketing impact. In other words, customers are continuously engaged with Apples novel propositions and therefore their life time purchasing is extended (Hollensen, 2007). Another essential aspect of the management of the company is the leadership approach which is applied by Steve Jobs. As it was already identified, the decision-maker focuses on the management of an authoritarian approach of managing employees. This causes certain internal secrecy and business isolation. Although, secrecy may be justified as important and necessary condition to survive in the high-tech industry, business isolation cannot be recognised as a positive outcome especially in the context of innovation management (Francis and Bessant, 2005). Finally, the personal approach to management and micro-management deployed by Jobs is also another leadership choice which can be criticized. In other words, through his leadership approaches, Jobs does not promote and sustains intellectual capital within the organisation. For example, if he leaves the company all the ideas, rules, processes and perceptions will leave with him. The primary contributor to this unfavourable outcome will be the reduced engagement of employees on a company-wide level. Apple is currently one of the most innovative companies in the market but the business innovativeness needs to be continuously sustained and updated in order for the company to be able to adequately serve the needs of customers.

Biotrim: True Weight Loss or Scam? Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive P

Biotrim: True Weight Loss or Scam? In today's society, everybody wants a quick fix to all of their cosmetic problems. Whether we want better faces, better bodies, whatever, we want it now and we surely do not want to work for results. Due to this incredible demand for immediate self-improvement, the weight loss market has turned into a multi-billion dollar industry preying on people who are uniformed about weight loss and the body's capabilities. Many products and programs such as Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, and the like are useful to many people and teach them how to maintain their entire lives in addition to their weight. Unfortunately, there are also products on the market today that offer false claims about individuals' ability to lose weight. One such product, the topic of this investigation, is called Biotrim. In the following paragraphs, we will look into its claims for weight loss and make an educated conclusion about the possibility of success by using this product. Before ever reading the advertisement I found for Biotrim, I took a look at the pictures of satisfied Biotrim customers. Here, I saw photographs of people who were overweight and looking unhappy before using the product, and then photographs of those very same people slim and happy after their success with weight loss by using Biotrim. There are little captions of personal letters from these people singing the praises of their incredible results and how they were happier, better adjusted human beings based on their appearance. This underlying claim that losing weight will make you a better person is just one of the many ways these companies target people who are insecure and uninformed. Reading on in the advertisement, this product promises not onl... ... bottom of the advertisement that the results shown are "atypical." Also, the cost to the company to make the product is substantially less than the $23.95 that it costs the consumer to buy it, so even if half of the customers ask for a refund, the producers of Biotrim still make money. Well, I hope that this investigation into the weight loss claims of the Biotrim product had been informative. If nothing else, I hope that you will read claims very carefully in the future, and keep in mind that many products that promise quick results with no effort on your part are on the market simply to take advantage of people that should know better but just do not take the time to investigate the claims. Take care in buying these products, because most of them will not deliver. Beware of scam artists, they will prey on your desire for a better you. Don't waste your money.