...you plan on getting it there. It is the key function of all four functions and you cannot move on without using this function properly as well as wisely. This function will show managers the type of challenges that face their company and require that they come up with a plan to not only forecast the future economic growth of the company but show how it will be accomplished. This is also the function in which they create objectives and set deadlines for those objectives to be met. Plans will be re-evaluated as unforeseen conditions change the steps that were first decided on. Internal factors such as technology, innovation, and ethics affect the function of planning in ways such as moving ahead. When a company does not have the technology that they need to move ahead then they are trapped in the place they stand because they are unable to move. Innovation is always a new way to help a company to expand their horizons and do more. New ideas and ways of thinking can move a company forward by leaps and bounds. With ethics, it keeps a manager in perspective and helps them to remember...
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...Encourage Innovation to Boost Productivity What is innovation? How can companies encourage innovation in order to increase productivity? When most people hear the word innovation, they think of gadgets like the iphone or smart cars. If employees were encouraged to be innovative, what could they produce? A study from the Boston Consulting Group confirms that 92 percent of Chinese firms consider innovation to be a top priority. However, only 61 percent of U.S. firms say that innovation is a top priority. Other studies reveal that Americans are worried about their ability to stay ahead of the innovation curve. What does this mean for businesses? Unfortunately, American's fears may be a reality because of the fear most organizations have of the concept of innovation. Organizations need to realize that when employees are free to make new suggestions and openly discuss ideas, positive change is more likely to occur. Change is scary for most business owners, but without it, businesses will be stuck in a previous era while the rest of the world advances. For instance, doctor's offices used to keep their patient files as hard copies. Everything was either typed or handwritten and saved in filing cabinets. Over time, innovation and technological advancements enabled health care providers to store the files digitally, as well as a hard copy. Some doctors have embraced this method, while others refuse to adopt new methods of information management. What can innovation provide...
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...------------------------------------------------- READING NOTES: The Discipline of Innovation In this article, Peter F. Drucker provides us a complete framework of the “Innovation”. Systematic innovation is both work and inspiration: it is at the heart of entrepreneurship. According to him, there are three requirements that must be met in order to succeed in innovation: KNOWLEDGE (study potential customers’ needs and expectations), INGENUITY (think about something simple and useful. “Faster, Better, Cheaper” summarize it well) and FOCUS (start with a small idea and make it growth to arrive to an effective innovation). Innovation is also a change in the behavior of people in general or a change in process (how people work or act). The main question is how to innovate. Peter F. Drucker writes that companies have to look for OPPORTUNITIES. He identifies seven ways to innovate, called “the seven sources of innovation”. He divides theses sources in 2 groups: the first four sources lie within the company and the last three depends on the environment of the company (external factors). Unexpected occurrences Successes or failures Incongruities Differences between what it is and what people wants Process needs New product/service is an answer to a need Industry/market changes Offer possibilities to launch a new product/service Demographic changes Statistics about population move quickly Changes in perception Meaning and mood change from a generation...
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...delivery of some content using a range of different media (PowerPoints with voice over, videos, etc.) followed by some online activities which you should complete. That is, the learning will include both listening, watching and doing. It would probably be a good idea to arrange with your other group members to participate in the online lecture together; that will ensure that there is somebody else that you know completing the online exercises at the same time that you will be. Furthermore, what you will also find is that the lecture does use a lot of what is covered in the textbook; so it may be a good idea to have the textbook open as you go through this online lecture. I hope that you find these online lectures engaging and that there is a positive learning outcome by participating. Start of Online Lecture on Innovation and Change . Overview A good starting point for this online lecture should be to understand that we have a fair way to go in terms of really knowing what innovation is and how it provides...
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...Stephanie Lee Ethics of Crowdsourcing ‘Crowdsourcing’; Innovation or Exploitation? Abstract Crowdsourcing is the concept of mass collaboration of external outsourced tasks typically from an institution to its community (Howe, 2005). This paper explores the two sides of crowd sourcing; whether this net-enabled community collaboration is accelerating innovation or exploiting the laborers with menial tasks of little to no benefit through an analysis of Soylent, one of the latest innovations in crowd sourcing using John Rawls’ Theory of Justice, the Veil of Ignorance, I aim to demonstrate how can we all benefit from crowdsourcing and harness the true power of collective intelligence and mass collaboration just by maintaining a fine balance between the two extremes as according to the Aristotle’s Golden Mean. Introduction David Brent once said; “A problem shared is a problem halved, so is your problem really yours or just half of someone else’s?” In terms of an ideal crowd sourced task, the problem would be diminished by half, or even more because it is shared between dozens, hundreds, and even thousands of active community participants eager to solve it to the best of their abilities. Crowdsourcing, as first coined and defined by Jeff Howe, is the concept of mass collaboration of tasks that are outsourced externally typically through the Internet to the community at large. He says it is “the act of outsourcing tasks, traditionally performed by an employee or contractor...
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...ISDS 4160 Ross Lafont Assignment 3 Disrupting Global Competition In today’s world, we are extremely lucky with the way we can conduct business. Increased technology has led this planet to heights we thought we would never reach. Communication throughout the world is now as easy as pie. Not only do we have the telephone, but we also have email, scan, fax, and wire. All of these communication ways are cheap and it is China, not the United States that knows how to take advantage of this though low labor costs. This is why we do business in China these days. Globalization is the reason why we can outsource to China with great success. China operates better than the United States. A main reason of this is that they have a clear-cut division between ownership and management. In some United States companies, there is confusion that exists right here. Management and ownership also share the same goals in China. Management and ownership are both doing their own individual job to create a marginal profit, we definitely could learn from the Chinese on how to do this. Another man reason is that Chinese companies have not been outer-performing in the world markets as much in recent years. This is occurring because China’s marketplace has been changing. The government in China is very powerful. Many people see this as a bad thing in the United States, but in business perspective it is a good thing. The Chinese government can take control of an economic problem with its...
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...Second Journal Entry Set 1. Profile an entrepreneur that interests or inspires you. It may be an individual or team from history or current era. Use published sources and print media. Consider their personal characteristics, backgrounds in terms of family and social economic situation, education, experiences and skills, the type of venture and the business and economic climate when launched their venture, their management style. Link to Gibbs entrepreneurial behavior and the five EO attributes. There is a person named Mark Elliot Zuckerberg who is an American computer programmer and Internet entrepreneur. He is also known as one of five co-founders of the social networking site Facebook. He works as a chairman and chief executive of Facebook. His finance is estimated to be $9.4 billion in 2012. He was born and raised in New York and began writing software as his hobby in middle school, with some assistance from his father and a tutor. When he was attending high school, he studied classic literature and fencing while studying at Phillips Exeter Academy. After a few years, he joined Harvard College, majoring in computer science and psychology. In his former years at Harvard, he developed a notorious application that is also known a Facemash that allowed students on the college’s network vote on the relative attractiveness of other students. To create that application, he had to hack the Harvard’s network to get all the photos of students. He got busted and his application...
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...The richest man in the world explains how to save the planet. At 58, Bill Gates is not only the richest man in the world, with a fortune that now exceeds $76 billion, but he may also be the most optimistic. In his view, the world is a giant operating system that just needs to be debugged. Gates' driving idea – the idea that animates his life, that guides his philanthropy, that keeps him late in his sleek book-lined office overlooking Lake Washington, outside Seattle – is the hacker's notion that the code for these problems can be rewritten, that errors can be fixed, that huge systems – whether it's Windows 8, global poverty or climate change – can be improved if you have the right tools and the right skills. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the philanthropic organization with a $36 billion endowment that he runs with his wife, is like a giant startup whose target market is human civilization. Personally, Gates has very little Master of the Universe swagger and, given the scale of his wealth, his possessions are modest: three houses, one plane, no yachts. He wears loafers and khakis and V-neck sweaters. He often needs a haircut. His glasses haven't changed much in 40 years. For fun, he attends bridge tournaments. Related: Q&A: Bill Gates on How to Stop Global Warming Related: Obama in Command: The Rolling Stone Interview Related: Steve Jobs: The Rolling Stone Interview But if his social ambitions are modest, his intellectual scope is mind-boggling: climate, energy...
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...is the capability or act of conceiving something original or unusual. Innovation is the implementation of something new. Invention is the creation of something that has never been made before and is recognized as the product of some unique insight. Discovery Previously unknown, yet objectively extant objects or properties of objects in the material world are discovered INNOVATION:- Innovation is the introduction of something new something that deviates from established doctrine and practice. The act of creation, of making something new, is only the first step in a long path to historical change in materials and culture. What makes something innovative is not just that it is new, but that it takes root in some way, making changes in established cultures, doctrines, and practices, leading to historical significance. The theme of innovation is one that requires depth of thinking, it is about examining ideas, methods, and inventions, and not merely about events and individuals. We are expected to look at the need for change, how that change came about, the methods that were used to convince the public that it was necessary, and the impact it made. INVENTION Invention can be an aspect of innovation and, in fact, is often the first step in innovation. However, the crucial difference occurs between the relatively discrete creative act of invention and the far longer process of innovation. Innovation involves the process of convincing people to change their material or...
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...Com435 Exam 3 Material Exam April 10th The Adoption of Technology * Technology advances are increasing at a growing rate * Moore’s variation of the Law: Technological advances double approximately every 18 months * Unlike processing speed, storage capacity, etc, adaption of technology is more difficult to measure * Adoption of particular technologies tend to follow a particular pattern A Common Pattern * Adoption (diffusion) of innovations follow a typical pattern known as the S-shaped curve The Diffusion of innovations * Everett Rogers – Diffusion of innovations * Innovation: an idea, practices, or objects that are perceived as new by an individual or other unit * Channels: the means by which messages about innovations travel from one person to another * Time: * Innovation decision-process for individual * Relative time to adoption compared to other adopters * Overall rate of adoption for innovation * Social System * Interrelated units that are engages in problem solving to accomplish a goal Types of Adopters – Innovators * Innovators * Shortest adoption curve * Possible Characteristics * Venturesome * Access to financial resources * High level of technical knowledge * Tolerant of uncertainty Types of Adopters – Early Adopters * Early Adopters * Most influential adopters * Possible characteristics ...
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...2014 4.1 Innovative Business Skills Essay on innovation 4.1 Innovative Business Skills Essay on innovation Table of Content Introduction 2 Backgrounds for the topic of Innovation 2 Definition of Innovation 3 Creation and implementation of Innovation 3 Creativity inspires. Creativity empowers. 4 Studytrip London 5 Conclusion 6 Bibliography 7 Introduction The focus of this essay is on the subject of “Innovation” due to the course of Innovative Business Skills in Block 4.1. Of course I was familiar with the meaning of Innovation but dealing with a subject like this in a deeper way can still change the way of how you define something for what it is and get aware of what other facts play an important role behind it. With the information and new knowledge gained as a result of the (guest)-lectures, the reading material and the business trip, I have gained an insight in to the topic of innovation and a better understanding of the innovation management. In this essay I will firstly give an short introduction to the background of Innovation (why it does exist) and provide a common definition linked to what innovation meant to me before the course of ‘Innovation Business Skills’. Afterwards the creation and implementation of innovation will be investigated as I have understood and experienced it in the previous block (4.1). At the end I will round of this essay with a conclusion also describing what Innovation means for me now after I have received all this information’s...
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...Although we have reflected on similar questions, few people can systematically summarize and analyze these problems. This course gives us a lot of inspiration, from the case studies to concrete problems encountered in actual work, which are shared with classmates in the classroom. This is indeed a very memorable and valuable experience. I believe this course will have a positive impact on students’ career in the coming decades. In this paper, an analysis is made of my inadequacies in management behaviors from the perspective of Emotional Intelligence, Creativity and Innovation, Communication Style, Gaining power and influence, Effective Empowerment and Delegation, Building effective team, Leading positive change, Building effective several parts team, and other aspects. I feel really appreciated that the school has provided this course for me and invited an experience scholar to teach us. Thank you, Bruce. I really look forward to attending your class. Wish you a happy and healthy life. 1. Emotional Intelligence analysis Some people say that emotional intelligence can be further divided into two aspects: self-awareness and interaction with others. I agree with this view. On the one hand, Human development should not only pay great attention to communication with oneself, but also attach great importance to their communication with the society. In communication with themselves, people discover their own advantages and disadvantages and identify who they are. On this basis...
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...management. There are lots of different studies on how Steve Jobs, the “Apple’s” chief executive officer (CEO), is leading the company to success. However, the main purpose of our work is not to analyze each of them, but to see what explanation of the company’s success can be found in certain articles, literature reviews and what can be learnt from Jobs’ way of presenting a product. Results of some findings have proved that the management style of the “Apple” CEO makes the company successful. Then, as soon as the mentioned CEO starts to speak, his presentation informs, entertains and inspires, capturing the audience. The simple techniques he uses can be borrowed by anyone for any kind of presentation. The value of this report is in depicting the management and leadership related issues when Steve Jobs is taken as a role model. Introduction “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower” * Steve Jobs By now “Apple” is one of the most well known brands in the world. The rising of the company has started in 1997 when Steven Jobs becomes its leader. To start, the first half of this report attempts to observe what management style the company has. The second part is based on one presentation and is trying to answer the question: “What makes Steve Jobs one of the most extraordinary speakers in corporate America?” Part I: the management style of Steve Jobs...
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...RELEVANCE TO THIS COURSE: “Know What Really Motivates You” is an article about motivation in the workplace. Overall, the article promotes how leaders can create motivational fit for employees. It describes how to promote a way for workers to advance in their current work and shows them whether they are excellent at what they do or not. MAIN IDEAS IN THIS ARTICLE 1. “Know What Really Motivates You” focuses on how to get employee going and how to find what motivates them. From this article, at least three areas of experience should be developed. The first area engages how to manage your professional goal. The second area consists of how to create a motivational fit. And the third area demonstrates how to choose a role model. 2. Managing your professional growth is through first identifying your personality type. This could be done with a tool named the “Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.” However, this tool is not accurate to the fact because it doesn’t predict your performance and even if it does, it wouldn’t tell you how to improve your performance. Promotion focus or prevention focus in the other hand can be accurate at predicting performance and how to improve it. 3. Creating a motivational fit is a way to help employees achieve their professional growth which in turn increases performance and job satisfaction. It also helps creating challenges for employees and help to attain specific goals. However, when this motivational fit is not in line with the employees’ goals...
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...Date: April 24th, 2014 Course: Sustainable Entrepreneurship 2013-2014 Lecturer: * Dr. J.S. Small * Dr. M.A.H. Groen Team Number: 1 Name: Michaelain Trimon ANR: 893225 Number of Words: 5701 Date: April 24th, 2014 Course: Sustainable Entrepreneurship 2013-2014 “On our way to Sustainable Green Printing” “On our way to Sustainable Green Printing” Preface This assignment is about a case study, which means the description of a situation regarding the development of a sustainable business. The case tells a story of how this particular business ended up where it is today. The context of this assignment will give a description of a situation regarding the development of a sustainable business. This case tells the story of how “Andi Druk” started evolving in sustainability and how the company is doing nowadays. Below I will describe the relevant information about the sustainable company. Table of Contents Introduction 4 Section 1: Industry Background 5 1.1 Printing Industry background 5 1.2 Innovation in the printing industry 6 1.4 Government Regulation 7 1.5 Firm size 8 1.6 Trends 8 1.7 Sustainability in the printing industry 9 1.7.1 Cradle- to-cradle and fully sustainable 10 1.8 Opportunities and Challenges for the Sustainability Printing industry 12 1.8.1 Opportunities 12 1.8.2 Challenges 12 Section 2: Company Background 13 2.1 Company Overview 13 2.2 Environment 14 2.3 Services 15 Section 3: Competitors...
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