The Pros & Cons of In-House Versus Outsourced R&D Activity for Assignment

The Pros & Cons of In-House Versus Outsourced R&D Activity for Technology Firms - Assignment Example This research will begin with the statement that there is recent evidence showing that firms no longer depend entirely on in-house R&D to maintain their technological competitiveness. This development, in as much as it has been contended, in portions reflects technological and economical globalization, whereby there is an increasing correspondence in categories of technologies across countries of harmony. Consequently, cross border competition is growing which has resulted in fewer opportunities for profits despite higher costs in retaining technological resources to remain internationally competitive. On the other hand, there is evidence that outsourcing research and development (R&D) activities are on the increase too, for instance in the R&D Magazine January 2001 Issue reports according to a survey of the people reading, a significant portion of the total R&D would be outsourced. The term non – internal is a premeditated one and is proposed to comprise of both outer activit ies (arms-length relationships that include licensing, R&D contracts, outsourcing and other customer supplier relationships) and quasi-external activity like strategic alliances which is said to involve a good number of organizational methods. Non- internal activities are advantageous as they are a ‘reversible’ asset as well as benefits of exploring new areas prompting radical transformation. The funds needed are smaller and the dangers are to a great extent reduced and, in case of the organizational predicament of failure, the limited damage is imposed on primary operations of the firm.

Study of a leader in business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Study of a leader in business - Essay Example ere a psychological profile that identifies a leader, and if so are there different psychological attributes that can identify a great leader If these traits can be somehow quantified, are there other qualities which are present in differing degrees that determine a business leader. ... he mood and temper of the people as well as the critical components inherent in the objectives Or are leadership qualities constant, displaying inherent characteristics that in differing degrees can be found in examples of leadership throughout history Is it something that a person is born with, inherits, or is learned Is there a psychological profile that identifies a leader, and if so are there different psychological attributes that can identify a great leader If these traits can be somehow quantified, are there other qualities which are present in differing degrees that determine a business leader. Is it style, intelligence, insight, a Midas touch, or elements of luck Could it be that the qualities that determine a successful business leader are attributes one is born with, or is it the ability to respond to the demands of the consistently changing business climate by finding solutions which enable one to work through vicissitudes and come out on top One common thread which is obvious in all great leaders, be they revered or scorned, is that they viewed the world, events, history, the present as well as the future in ways that were different from their contemporaries, and in such a manner that distinguished them in their era. What great leadership is, how it manifests itself in certain individuals is a subject which could entail considerable debate, thus the examination shall limit itself to one particular individual and determine if we can understand what and why this person has exhibited and demonstrated the attributes which cause us to view him in such a manner. This study shall look at Sir Richard Branson as an example of leadership in that he represents a contemporary individual who rose from modest means to become one of the world's most successful

Human memory Essay Example for Free

Human memory Essay The investigation into whether images aid memory recall has been fairly successful. The experimental hypothesis: participants in condition 1(words with images) would perform better than those in condition 2 (words without images), has been rejected therefore the null hypothesis: there will be no difference in condition 1 (involving grid of random words supported by images) and condition 2 (only consisting of random words) has been accepted. Only to some extent from the line graph (Condition 1 vs. Condition 2), can we say condition 1 (words with images) recalled more words than those in condition 2 (words without images) because the line for condition 1 is generally above the line for condition 2 and this fairly supports the experimental hypothesis. The results measured using central tendency and measures of dispersion moderately support the experimental hypothesis. The mean and median for condition 1 (14. 1 14. 5) was greater than of condition 2 (12. 6 13. 5) indicating that there is a better recall when words are companied by visual aid and this supports the experimental hypothesis. The range (11) illustrated that data for both conditions were equally spread out, which does not necessary support the experimental hypothesis. Standard deviation, a more reliable measure of the dispersion than range has shown data in condition 2 (3. 977715704) is slightly more spread out than in condition 1 (3. 604010112). Descriptive statistics (numerical graphical) have illustrated that condition 1 (words with images) performed better and this supports the experimental hypothesis. Not only do the numerical statistics support the hypothesis but the results are fairly pronounced, simply by looking at the line graph (graphical statistics); there is definitely a difference between both conditions although the Mann-Whitney U-test shows this to be below the level of significance. Inferential statistics, which enable us to draw clear conclusions about the likelihood of the hypothesis being true, is evidence for accepting the null hypothesis. The implication of the results measured using a non-parametric method, The Mann-Whitney U-test clearly shows that at the significance level of 0. 05, the results were very likely to have happened by chance. Though the observed value, 35 is greater than the critical value of 23 but only by 10. Comparatively, the findings of this study support previous theory and research but also are contrary to them. Bower, 1972 imagery recall experiment found that participants, who used imagery, recalled 80% of the words compared to only 45% by the non-imagers. In this investigation, participants in condition 1 (words with images) recalled 70. 5% of the words compared to 63% by the non-imagers. My investigation does support Bowers findings, since there is a difference however the differences between the two conditions is not significant. Previous research does suggest that data in STM is stored in an acoustic manner this was demonstrated by Conrad (1964). Illustrating people may not always use visual codes to remember data and this supports the null hypothesis; in addition Baddeleys (1966) study suggests that data is also stored semantically and this again illustrates that people may not always use visual codes. A possible problem with this experiment is the experimental design which lacks ecological validity and also does not account for individual differences. The study used independent groups, which meant it lacked control of participant variable and needed more participants. A matched participant design could have been used instead to deal with participant variables as participants are matched on key variables such as age and memory ability. Another problem of the study was the sample size. The study only used 20 participants, a small sample; therefore findings cannot be generalised to the rest of the population. So, a larger sample size of 50+ would be more representative and can be generalised. In addition, the investigation used opportunity sampling, which is very biased, and again it cannot be generalised. Random sampling would be the best method to select participants since it is potentially unbiased. An additional problem was the images used; some of the images were cartoon images (i. e. bible pizza) and others were actual photographs (real life images, i. e. greenhouse). This may have been a problem since real life images may possibly be easier to remember than cartoon images or vice versa. To resolve such problem, would be by using only cartoon images alone or only real life images. The recall between genders may have wider implications: on the whole men have performed better than women, when studies have shown women should perform better than men. For example; women perform better than men in tasks such as verbal learning remembering tasks, name face association, and first last name associations learning (Larrabee and Crook, 1993). Ideas for a follow up research study is the effects of gender recall and discover if there is a significant effect for the sex of a participant on the types of gender associated images recalled and to compare the effects of visual and semantic codes in depth. There is evidence to illustrate that people do remember more with the aid of visual representation and evidence to illustrate people remember more without any visual representation. This itself suggests people do remember data and information differently (individual differences), i. e. acoustically, semantically. Therefore it is important to recognize these findings as they have strong insinuations for its involvement in everyday life, for example with teaching, revision and marketing. References Bibliography Atkinson, R. C. Shiffrin, R. M. (1968) Human memory: A proposed system and its control processes. In K. W. Spence and J. T. Spence (Eds. ), The psychology of learning and motivation, vol. 8. London: Academic Press Baddeley, A. D. (1966) Encoding in LTM: The influence of acoustic and semantic similarity on long-term memory for word sequences. Quart. J. exp. Psychol. , 18, 302-9 Bahrick, H. P. (1975) The nature of LTM: Fifty years of memory for names and faces: A cross-sectional approach, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, vol. 104, pp. 54-75

Play And Creativity In The Curriculum

Play And Creativity In The Curriculum Some have argued that play is childrens work but I would say that it is far more than this. Play is their self-actualisation, a holistic exploration of who and what they are and know and of who and what they might become. (Broadhead 2004, p. 89) Since nineteen century, learning has been constructed and reconstructed within the frameworks of three main theoretical perspectives, whether understood as adult-led process, child-led individual process of discovering knowledge, or socially constructed experience. This essay will discuss in depth the contribution of play and creativity to young childrens well-being and improving childrens lives; what is play and creativity and why they are important; the three theories or instructions versus exploration are fundamentally diverse in their understanding about the development of childrens cognition and application in learning environment, yet their persistence in contemporary school system is evident. An evaluation of the intervention of different theories will be based on the important work of Skinner, Piaget, Vigotsky etc. and different curriculum developed and used all over the world as TeWhaariki, Reggio Emilia and Early Years Foundation Stage. This essay underlines the importance of play and creativity of young children in their early years, considering historical point of view, theoretical and examples from own experience, practice and observations. Within western societies, the optimal conditions for early learning are frequently viewed as environments where play, both unstructured and structured, adult-led and child-led, solitary and social, provides the majority of the learning opportunities (Wood 2010). In the last century theories of play replaced or developed earlier learning theories and previous ways of thinking. Ideas taken of psychologists like Piaget, Vygotsky and Bruner have lead to create educational framework and curriculum, as the High/Scope curriculum developed from the US Head Start project in the 1960s (Schweinhart and Weikart 2003), and the Te Whaariki curriculum developed by the New Zealand government in the 1990s (Ministry of Education 1996) . the last decade the Foundation Stage was introduced in England and Wales (QCA 2000) where play has been described as the key way in which children learn. Recently, the findings of the EPPE project (Sylva et al 2004) made practitioners thinking how to get the right balance into the curriculu. The main object is how to implement potentially instructive play activities which need to be supported by effective adult interactions into the learning process. In the meanwhile the debate on the value and nature of play for young childre n and for their development continues. The benefits of play for children and young peoples physical, intellectual, social and emotional wellbeing are no longer questioned. The Early Years Foundation Stage stands up behind this philosophy which we can see from the Appendix 1. Play is innate. Childhood play is an instinct that is pleasant and important when we look at the learning and development of young children (see Appendix 2). Play is different and flexible. Often we cannot use terms as right or wrong way when consider play. There are enormous ranges of different types of play. They can be active or subdued; they could involve imagination or exploration. Furthermore play could involve others or carried out alone. The essence of play is best described perhaps with the 12 Principles of play (Bruce, 2011). Those principles underline any present playwork practice which we could describe as good practice. Play is a process that is freely chosen, personally motivated and directed. Children and young people rule and control the meaning and fulfill of their own play, by listening their own instincts, ideas and interests. This is done in childrens own way for their own purposes and reasons. All children and young people need to play. The impulse to play is innate. Play is a biological, psychological and social necessity, and is fundamental to the healthy development and wellbeing of individuals and communities. (Gleave, 2012) Recent research shows that to be able to respond and function effectively in our complex society requires interactions with others. Those interactions need to be managed actively (Sawyer et al., 1997). In addition one of the beliefs which is used in therapeutic play is that imaginative play affect the aggression levels and promote emotional intelligence as state by Holland (2003). Furthermore, the more play is cooperative, the more children might connect with/or understand other childrens knowledge. This understanding is underpinned with their respond and emotional engagement with the surrounding environment. Interactions like those will increase childrens understanding of other childrens perspectives. They can become experts for one another, scaffolding their own and their peers learning experiences. When children interact with peers they are more creative, the dialogue they build with each other or the play is like a practise to reality and helps them develop social skills. Their learning and creativity is stronger than when an adult tells then what to do, or leads them to a game, there is not as much personal/inner involvement when its adult led. Recently observations try to focus more on play between children, not on their interactions with adults. This is to recognise that into communication with peers which are equally engaged, exist the potential to improve childrens learning development. It will arise along their actions and interaction. As an example see Appendix 2. Often play goes hand by hand with creativity. As a concept creativity has been vastly researched for more than fifty years, and they still remain disagreements what creativity is and how it develops (Lynch Harris, 2001). Part of researches underline that creativity involves process of flexible thinking and being original, also problem solving and being capable to redefine and elaborate (Meador, 1997). The other part of researchers point to personal characteristic which could help some individuals to become more creative, for example tolerance for uncertainty, willingness to overcome obstacles, openness to growth, possession of personal motivation, acceptance of sensible risk-taking, wanting to be recognized, and willingness to strive for such recognition (see Sternberg, as cited in Lynch Harris, 2001). Moreover, others support the thinking that people cannot be generally creative in all areas but more often into specific fields, as art, machinery or woodwork (see Gardner, as cited in Lynch Harris, 2001). The cultivation of creativity is a base on which programs and strategies are produced for positive outcomes and underpin the well being of young children. Such programs which include creative problem-solving skills help children to become successful adults. Adults who will question the accuracy of information and put this information into constructive use (see Todd Shinzato, as cited in Brockman,2012). Moreover, Sautter (1994) suggests that children being involved in creative activities improve their motivation. Practitioners in the mental health field discovered that creative activities can be used to protect children from stress (see Honig, as cited in Brockman). Creative thinking allows both young people and adults to avoid boredom, resolve personal conflict, cope with increasing consumer choice, accept complexity and ambiguity, make independent judgments, use leisure time constructively, and adjust to the rapid development of new knowledge (Strom, 2000, p. 59).Furthermore, in our century we are witnesses of rapid scientific and technological development, so people need to be inventive and flexible. Therefore, in order to keep up with nowadays accelerating developments, it is important for adolescents to be creative thinkers (see Fryer, as cited in Brockman). In addition to the above, the study Trough a different lens by Meynard (2010) shows that moving away from a subject-centered approached, particularly when they are prescribed outcomes in the Framework, towards child-led learning and play, may be extremely challenging for the practitioners. The project is based on Reggio Emilia pedagogy. While in England and Wales early years education policy appears to have shifted direction in relation to curriculum, pedagogy and underpinning theories of learning, by contrast the infant and toddler centres of the municipality of Reggio Emilia are rooted in a coherent, well-defined theory of knowledge which resonates with sociocultural principles. In the Reggio Emilia approach it is important the collaboration between all participants. They believe that young children symbolically represent their ideas through, for example, drawing, painting, dance, singing, speaking, mime and play. Instead of curriculum lead activities, organic projects are used as a vehicle for learning. However, having used to lead childrens play, the practitioners found it hard to not interrupt and their believes challenged. One of the teachers states: Children who I initially thought of as low ability, fidgety boys I now feel have fantastic problem solving skills à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ this approach has made me question what I thought was a bright child and has turned on its head how I rate the children in my class. From the above study is evident the influence of different approaches have on the adults role in relation to childrens play. For example learning for behaviourism is adult-led, emphasising on the external environmental influences on learning and outcome focused; the most effective teaching technique in class room in the sixties and seventies was the programmed instruction, an operant conditioning method developed by Skinner in a behaviourist fashion which went in four steps. Giving a task to perform in their play, observing the child, if incorrect repeat again in an easier manner, if correct reward. This processes lacks imagination of the activity, leads children to understand learning as a stressful experience and create anxiety which in turn interferes with school performance and social and psychological development.(Gavrielle L.2008). Although Skinner acknowledged children need to explore knowledge for themselves and that creativity is born within social interaction, it was not until the constructivist theory of Jean Piaget (1896-1980) when society and school acknowledge the need for children to explore knowledge for themselves. In contrast to behaviourist believes, Jean Piaget argued learning happens inside the child, should be child-led, with little if no emphasis on teaching. According to Piaget instructions were the inhibition for exploration. In a computational study, Bonawitz and colleges compared the outcomes of play with a same toy given by an experimenter in two conditions. In the first condition children were instruct how to use it, and in the second they were just given the toy to play with. The results of this study show significant differences between the times children of both conditions played with it. Also, the toy had more features then the one shown by the experimenter and the children in the sec ond condition seems to show higher exploration in contrast to the first. (Bonawitz E., et al, 2010). In a contrast, Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) was the one to outline the importance of some adult guidance in childrens development; introducing Zone of Proximal development (ZPD) as the difference between what the child can not do by himself and what he can achieve with help from more able adult/peer; an adult-led theory in which the teaching and assisted performances were the key for successful development. In conclusion, the importance of how play is used to encourage creativity was outlined; the implication of the above theories is evident in the present educational curriculum. The frameworks influenced by Piaget discovery learning theory have been revolutionary for educational practices. The above examples show the importance to find the right balance between adult and child-led play and creativity which are fundamental for childrens learning and development.

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie Essay

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie Dale Carnegie's book How to Win Friends and Influence People gives several proven methods and examples on how to succeed in the business world. The book's chapters are comprised of how to handle people, how to be a successful leader, and how to win people to your way of thinking. The preface provides several ideas and suggestions that will help the reader get the most out of the book. The author suggests that the reader keep an open mind, and also suggest some other reading materials that will also help.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first chapter deals with how to handle people successfully. In this chapter it highlights one of the most important things you can do when dealing with people and their particular situation is to rationalize with them, meaning that to better understand were the person is coming from you must put yourself in their shoes. Every one can and will rationalize why they make the decisions they make. People like the infamous Al Capone never thought he was a bad person. He had rationalized the actions he took and the decisions he made. This is a good example to lead into the first principle, which is that no one should ever critize, complain, or condemn other people. Principe two suggests that you always give people or sincere appreciation. You shouldn?t sit and think about your own individual accomplishments and successes, but compliment others on their successes. The most important thing that others can give is their genuine appreciation. That is the key to getting w hat you want, threatening people by force or harsh words, but to get others to do what you want is to give them what they want; appreciation for their deeds. Principle three explains that most people do not care what you want. They care mostly for themselves and are not really interested in what you want. The key is to expose them on how what you want will also benefit them; it establishes eagerness and willingness in the other people. A good example of this is fishing, you don?t bait the hook with what you want to eat, you bait the hook with what the fish want. Again, thinking from the other side?s perspective.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second part of the book discusses ways on how to get people to like you. The first step is to become genuinely interested in them. People are more apt to like you if they feel admired by you. One must inst... ... rather than themselves making there own reputation. If you give a person a good reputation they will try their hardest to live up to the expectation and Dale suggest that they will very rarely let you down.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I choose this book for my report because for one I started reading it last year but until now never had finished it. The other reason is because through out all my classes in the recreation department I have always been told of the importance of making contacts along the way. This book is an excellent tool in dealing with how to make the very best first impression, especially when the encounter might only last a few seconds. In this industry everyone is tring to get a head often times their own way. The principles in this book give detailed examples of how to work together and win people over to the ideas you have. Perhaps more importantly these techniques allow you to get ahead as a team in a industry that is so competitive. The things I have learned in this book I have already found myself in situations where I am applying Dale?s concepts. This book will be an important tool in my life and everyone in every industry should do themselves a favor and read this boo k.

Francis Scott Fitzgerald Essay examples -- essays papers

Francis Scott Fitzgerald Thesis: Francis S. Fitzgerald was a talented writer; his only flaw was that he liked the combination of alcohol and the night life. One of the most widely recognized writers of the 1920’s and 1930’s was Francis Scott Fitzgerald (Beebe 339). He followed his dreams of being a writer, until he finally succeeded. Francis Scott Fitzgerald was a talented writer; his only flaw was that he liked the combination of alcohol and the nightlife (Coale 190). He spent his life writing and trying to be happy with his wife, Zelda Sayre. His life served as a resource for his novels. Perhaps writing about his life helped him deal with his grief. Francis Scott Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on September 24, 1896. (Coale 190). Francis Scott was the only child of Edward Fitzgerald and Mary Mollie McQuillan (Beebe 339). Fitzgerald was named after a distant member of his father’s family (Beebe 339), who happened to be the author of â€Å"The Star Spangled Banner† (Bruccoli xix). Edward Fitzgerald was the father of Francis S. Fitzgerald. Edward’s business, the production of wicker furniture in St. Paul, Minnesota, failed. (Bruccoli xix). Due to this, his family moved to Buffalo, New York, in 1908 (Bruccoli xix). In New York he became a salesman for Procter & Gamble; in 1908 he was dismissed (Bruccoli xix). After his dismissal they returned to St. Paul and moved in with Mary Mollie McQuillan’s mother (Bruccoli xix). Her mother was an Irish immigrant who became wealthy as a wholesaler grocer in St. Paul, Minnesota (Bruccoli xix). When the family finally decided to stay in St. Paul, Minnesota, was when Fitzgerald was encouraged to study at the St. Paul Academy (Beebe 339). From 1911 to 191... ... characters of Dick Diver and Nicole Diver somehow resemble Fitzgerald and Zelda Sayre. Dick Diver resembles Fitzgerald by being young and talented. Nicole Diver resembles Zelda Sayre by both being the force that held them back. Bibliography: Works Cited Beebe, Maurice. â€Å"Francis Scott Fitzgerald†. Encyclopedia Americana. Deluxe Library Ed. 1996. Bruccoli, Matthew J., and Judith Baughman. A Life in Letters: F. Scott Fitzgerald. New York. Simon & Schuster Inc. 1994. Coale, Samuel Chase. â€Å"Francis Scott Fitzgerald†. The World Book Encyclopedia. Scott Fetzer Company, 1996. Eble, Kenneth. F. Scott Fitzgerald. New York. Twayne Publishers Inc, 1963. Meyers, Jeffrey. Scott Fitzgerald: A Biography. New York. Harper Collins Publishers Inc, 1994.

Changes of Lifestyle for Young People Essay

Introduction There have been massive changes in lifestyle of young people a century ago and the life of teenagers today. Most of the changes are remarkable and dramatic. Nowadays, there are fresh forms of media like the internet and television. Family makeup and emphasis on values today are nothing in comparison to what they were a hundred years ago (Weil, 1997). The young people’s objectives and viewpoints are also dissimilar amid of the two periods. All these modifications have made people believe that life today for a young person is far harder than it was a hundred years ago. Evidently, there exists several distinctions between life lived by young people in older days and that lived by teenagers today. Young people a hundred years ago lived a sanctuary life in comparison to those of the current times. Today’s teenagers do not just hear of violent activities within their communities, but are also aware of what is taking place in their nations and the world at large (Shephard, 2011). This has been made possible through embracement of technology and media. Television and the internet have enabled several young adults have their lives affected in ways no one even knew probable. The world today has been compressed to one small village by satellites and technological advancements that make communication of people in different continents easy. In older days, people communicated by use of signs such as blowing of horns, lighting of smoke, using messengers to convey messages from one region to another. The use of letters and posters was extremely high. Nowadays, communication is through social media like Twitter, Facebook, email addresses, cell phones and Skype just to mention but a few. Televisions have enabled news and entertainment to be easy and interesting. It was extremely hard to locate someone with a television a hundred years ago. Only a few people possessed them and were assumed to be wealthy people in villages. Approximately 80 percent of teenagers today have access to television, have cell phones and can easily access the internet. That enhances communication for them (Weil, 1997). There are certain distinctions in household concepts of older times and present times. A young individual’s household should be the superior influence of their lives. Parents of young people a hundred years ago comprehended this, and did all they could do to make sure this happen. When one looks at what is called household today, it is not what individuals hundred years ago would term as a family. Divorce was never known in communities those days and if there was a kid, a mother and father were present too (Hoikkala & Suurpää, 2005). Teenagers were extremely keen to protect their siblings. It was not possible for children to have two mothers or fathers and had no choice between father mothers. Families today are prone to family violence, divorce cases and remarriages that make children have more than one mother or father. This has made teenagers today to ignore the concept of family values and can do whatever they wish at any time. Discipline is extremely low in teenagers today as compared to young people hundred years ago. Conclusion Life today is far away different with life lived hundred years ago especially when young people are involved. The family structures and bondages of older times were strong but today they no longer have power. Parents today do not have full authority or capacity to discipline their children. This makes them ignore the values and principles governing families. In older times, communication was poor but today communication is extremely easy since technology has made the world a small entity. Life has really changed and things are not the same at all. The more changes are experienced, the more life becomes hard. References Weil, A. (1997). Eight weeks to optimum health: A proven program for taking full advantage of your body’s natural healing power. New York: A.A. Knopf. Shephard, R. (2011). Lifestyle and the Respiratory Health of Children. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 5, 1, 7-32. Hoikkala, T., & Suurpää, L. (2005). Finnish youth cultural research and its relevance to youth policy. Young, 13, 3, 285-312.