P&G Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

P&G - Essay Example It is equally important, if not more so, that innovation is cost-effective, aligned with consumer demands and addresses a perceived gap in the market. In other words, not only is the strategy for corporate survival continued product development and innovation, but the cost-effective development of innovative products which market research indicates will attract the consumer market. Proctor and Gamble has resolved the seemingly complex equation of cost-effective continued product development and equation through its "connect and develop" strategy. Indeed, P&G's approach to product development and innovation has the potential to serve as a critically valuable lesson to corporations across the world. The hurdles to new product development are cost and innovation. As Huston and Sakkab (2006, p. 60) write, "Most companies are still clinging to what we call the invention model, centered on a bricks-and-mortar R&D infrastructure and the idea that their innovation must principally reside within their own four walls." Confining product development to the company and to individuals working in the company often means that development will be a costly and time-consuming process. The reason, as Huston and Sakkab (2006) illustrate through reference to a case study, is that when a company begins the R&D process with an idea for a new product or an innovation to an existing product, it may not have the technology to translate the idea into a reality. The company's in-house Research and Development team will then have to experiment with several technologies to bring the idea to life and, of course, may and may not succeed. Even if they succeed, success comes at high financial cost. Furthermor e, as Brown and Eisenhardt (1995) argue, because the process is often a length one, there is always the risk that a competitor may beat them to the market with the technology and product. In this case, the return on the new product research and development investment may not be realized. Hence, a financial risk factor enters into the equation. Proctor and Gamble stumbled across a high radical approach for new product development and innovation when it found itself confronting numerous technological obstacles to the manufacturing of their innovative Pringle line of imprinted chips. Initially relying on in-house talent for the development of the required technology, Proctor and Gamble soon found the process excessively costly, unrealistic and unfeasible in terms of implementation. It was at this point that P&G decided to look outside its walls for a solution and, with that in mind, developed and circulated a technology brief which outlined the problem. The response was positive and the company was approach by a baker in Italy who had already developed the technology in question. Proctor and gamble obtained the rights to the use of the technology, developed it to suit their specific needs and were, as a result, able to successfully produce their new line of Pringle chips at a fraction of the cost they would have otherwise run into. Huston and Sakkab (2006) concede to the fact that the approach adopted by Procter and Gamble is a radical one. As new product development, inclusive of research and development, often functions as a firm's competitive edge, corporations generally tend to prefer to keep all research, development and product

The ideal teacher Essay Example for Free

The ideal teacher Essay What characteristics should a teacher possess? What Makes a Good Teacher? Video – Effective Teacher †¢ An effective teacher can be seen in the following video: Introduction What does being a teacher mean? †¢ Having a vocation for the teaching profession. †¢ Being dedicated. †¢ Being surrounded by a large number of diverse students, each with their own baggage and unique character. Knowledge 1st Characteristic of an effective teacher †¢ Should be transmitted in a unique and fun manner. †¢ One should move from the known to the unknown. †¢ It is not how much one knows, but how much one can deliver. Knowledge Observation 1 †¢ At a particular Boys’ Area Secondary School, it was noticed that the boys had a low IQ. †¢ A highly motivated Maltese teacher used a practical example to help them learn. †¢ He compared the Maltese language to a cocktail. – The different drinks symbolized Italian, Arabic and English. †¢ As a result the children remembered the example more. Adaptation 2nd Characteristic of an effective teacher †¢ One should get to know one’s students to cater for them accordingly. †¢ Scaffolding activities accordingly, ensures maximum learning. â€Å"The wise adapt themselves to circumstances, as water  moulds itself to the pitcher† – Chinese Proverb Environment 3rd Characteristic of an effective teacher †¢ Creates a non-threatening and welcoming environment. Environment – Observation 1 †¢ A Maths lesson in a Boys’ Area Secondary School – The teacher greeted the students by the words ‘hurry up because you are wasting precious time’. – The students were not very friendly towards her and imitated her. – Whilst going out for recreation these students were heard echoing the teacher’s words to their peers who dawdled on their way out. Theory of Observational Learning †¢ The students’ picked up the  teacher’s habit and used it to their advantage. †¢ This can be applied to Albert Bandura’s theory of observational learning. Theory of Observational Learning †¢ Bandura established 4 steps – Attention – characteristics instilled within a person that will affect the way in which he is influenced. – Retention – the ability to remember what one sees and transforms it into visualizations or verbal expressions. – Reproduction – the ability to transform what one has retained into definite behaviour. – Motivation – one has to be given a reason or incentive to reproduce what he has observed and retained. Organisation Good Organisation 4th Characteristic of being an effective teacher †¢ Having good organisational skills. †¢ In order to keep the students focused, the explanation should be sequential to avoid confusion. †¢ The teacher should always follow a lesson plan. Bloom’s Taxonomy for Learning Domain †¢ The last two domains – Synthesis – Evaluation focus on the importance of having a lesson plan as a guidance for the lesson. Importance of a Lesson Plan †¢ A lesson plan is important – to make the lesson sequential. – to ensure the objectives devised were reached. – to assess whether students understood  or not. Conducting a Lesson †¢ The teacher starts off the lesson by correcting the home work, – the students participate and say their answers. †¢ Introduces the topic that will be tackled. †¢ The teacher may write down some notes on the whiteboard. †¢ Class work is given so as to make sure that the students understood the topic. Organisation – Observation 1 †¢ A particular maths teacher at a girl’s school, applied very good organisational skills in her lesson. †¢ She stated the aims of the lesson at the beginning of the lesson in a very clear way. †¢ She managed to do all the things she had  planned. †¢ On repeated observations, it was noted that she always had a well-planned lesson. †¢ Students were always motivated to learn. Organisation – Observation 2 †¢ Another class that was observed in the same school was a Maltese literacy class. – It aids students who find it difficult when it comes to reading and writing. †¢ She involved the students by asking them to continue reading from where she stopped and corrected them wherever they made a mistake. †¢ At the end, she gave them some pages to read at home. Classroom Layout 1 †¢ In the previous incidents mentioned, the desks were  neatly placed and organised in twos. – Students can help each other with any difficulties they might have. †¢ The teacher’s desk was facing the student’s desks. †¢ On some occasions, the teacher may still need to separate desks to avoid misbehaviour and interruptions before starting the lesson. Classroom Environment †¢ When students are already inside the classroom, the teacher should make his / her presence felt. †¢ On the contrary, when students change class, the teacher can alter the classroom layout to suit his/her approach to teaching. Disorganisation †¢ When the teacher is disorganized he/she will  not be able to deliver a well-balanced lesson. – This was noticed in an observation where the class only managed to read a small paragraph from a textbook throughout two whole double lessons. – The rest was random, out of point discussions. †¢ There was poor classroom management together with a lack of discipline. Observation Disorganisation †¢ During a Home-Economics practical session a disorganised teacher was observed. †¢ The teacher did not guide and assess the students. †¢ They ended up asking each other what to do next and did not learn any skills. Discipline Behaviourism †¢ Constant motivation is  compared to behaviourism – researched by B. F. Skinner. †¢ He called his research ‘The Operant Conditioning Theory’. †¢ Theory states that a particular behaviour can be increased by positive / negative reinforcements (praise / punishments). Bad Discipline Observation Ineffective Teacher †¢ Observation A particular teacher, instead of correcting the students in a gentle manner and explaining what was wrong, the teacher sent the students out of class together with their desk and chair. †¢ It was observed that most of the teachers reprimanded the students whenever they got something wrong. †¢ Students are demoralized and in consequence show no interest in learning. Albert Bandura †¢ Throughout our observations, one thing was particularly noticed. †¢ When a teacher scolds students, their actions turn out to be counterproductive as that same action is repeated by the students. †¢ This is backed up by the Social Cognitive Theory researched by Albert Bandura. †¢ The Bobo-Doll experiment – Children imitated what was seen both verbally and physically. Influential Teachers †¢ A teacher’s behaviour contributes to classroom management . Henry Adams once stated: â€Å"A teacher affects eternity; one can never tell  were the influence stops. † Good Discipline Observation – Effective Teacher 5th characteristic of being an effective teacher †¢ Keeps the same discipline methods with all students regardless of their gender, race, ability or religion. †¢ Positive reinforcement: praises students and corrects their mistakes. †¢ Greets the students. †¢ Prepares the things needed for the lesson beforehand and waits for the students to settle down. †¢ Goes around the students to check whether everyone is paying attention. †¢ Removes distracting materials such as any irrelevant writing on the board will be rubbed off. Communication of Ideas 6th Characteristic of being an effective teacher †¢ Ability to communicate ideas effectively. †¢ This is done through the use of a variety of resources. †¢ This is explained in Benjamin Bloom’s book – Taxonomy of Learning Domains. Resources Motivation †¢ A teacher should always motivate students in a fun way – that is what keeps them going; Albert Einstein once said: â€Å"It is the supreme art of a teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge. † Observation †¢ During a science lesson, one of us observed one such characteristic, †¢ The science teacher used a variety of interesting  resources such as: – – – – PowerPoint presentations Worksheets Information handouts Textbooks †¢ These resources enabled students to be enthusiastic and motivated. Importance of Resources Something commonly observed: †¢ Very few teachers made use of resources, †¢ Most of them used the traditional resources; white board and textbooks, †¢ Students ended up bored and disinterested throughout the lesson. Edgar Dale †¢ In the 1960’s he put forward the theory: †¢ Students retain more information by what they â€Å"do† as opposed to what they â€Å"hear†, â€Å"see† or â€Å"observe†. †¢ He devised the ‘Cone of Experience. ’ †¢ â€Å"Learning by doing† is nowadays known as â€Å"experiential learning†. Cone of Experience Ineffective Resource 1 Textbooks †¢ By time, textbooks become outdated. This means that more money has to be forked out by the school and parents to update them. †¢ Textbooks should be used as a reference for studying, revising or even further notes. Ineffective Resource 2 Whiteboard †¢ Teachers still rely on such a sole type of pedagogy application, †¢ Disadvantage: The teacher may not write clear and big enough for the students to read, †¢ There can be cases of impairment; eyesight problems. Positive Environment  7th Characteristic of being an effective teacher †¢ The ability to create a positive classroom environment. †¢ A positive classroom environment is boosted further by using: – the appropriate type of humour – at the appropriate time. Humour †¢ Teachers should foster the praxis of using humour as it is an effective technique. – This removes any tension in the relationship between the teacher and the student. – This leads to a better performance in the students’ academic life. Negative Attitude †¢ Students will learn less if the teacher uses a negative attitude towards them. †¢ This includes factors such as  sarcasm. Sarcasm †¢ Sometimes teachers confuse good humor with sarcasm. – The use of sarcasm may harm the teacherstudent relationship since what some think as funny others may find to be offensive. – Sarcasm is humiliating for students. What makes a bad teacher? Video – Ineffective Teacher †¢ An ineffective teacher can be seen in the following video: Conclusion †¢ A teacher should be a life-long learner which is committed to the teaching profession striving to reach and teach’ students. Plato claimed that â€Å" The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life†.

Charles Lindbergh Biography :: Essays Papers

Charles Lindbergh Biography My biography is on Charles Augustus Lindbergh. He is most famous for his nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. In the next paragraph I will be telling you about some of the things that he is famous for. His life is more interesting than most people think. If anything I would say that he is the most famous pilot in the world, or at least he should be. Charles was a pilot, inverter, and an environmentalist. He was born on February forth of nineteen o two in Detroit Michigan. His father was a Minnesota congressman. He studied mechanical engineering for two years at the university of Wisconsin and left in nineteen twenty-two to enroll in flight school. In nineteen twenty-three he bought a war surplus training plane and worked as a barnstormer and as a traveling stunt flier. In nineteen twenty-five he completed army flight training. After flight school he worked as an airmail pilot, only to become the chief pilot for the route between St. Louis to Chicago. In nineteen twenty-nine he married Anne Morrow. The daughter of the United States ambassador to Mexico, Dwight Morrow. Some of Charles Lindbergh's achievements are the following. His most famous achievement was in nineteen twenty-seven, when he made the worlds first nonstop, solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. One of his other famous achievements was in nineteen twenty-seven when he made an unprecedented nonstop solo flight from Washington D.C. to Mexico City. He is also famous for being a great pilot. The main reason that I picked Charles Lindbergh to do my biography on is because I was goofing around on the biography web site and I typed in my birthday and apparently Charles Lindbergh has the same birthday as me. Another reason that I picked Charles Lindbergh is because I like airplanes and since Charles Lindbergh was the most famous pilot of all time, I decided, ah what the heck.

Change and Inner Journey

â€Å"Any Journey includes both realities and possibilities†, the three texts that we have studied in class, the film ‘Pleasantville' by Gary Ross and the poems ‘Road Not Taken' by Robert Frost and ‘Journey to the Interior' by Margaret Atwood, support this idea as these texts include the protagonist having embarked on not only physical and interior journeys in reality but also imaginary. The journey is known to be imaginary for the audience, but for the characters of the text these journeys have led them to be in a different stage in life, not only physical but internally, evolving into different people or having what become completely different people due to these journeys. In the 1977 film ‘Pleasantville' by Gary Ross, the protagonists, David and Jennifer begin their physical journey when they are â€Å"sucked† into the 1950's television program â€Å"pleasantville† when it becomes imaginary; impossible. When their journey was first embarked David and Jennifer where very different characters which is juxtaposed with the fact that they are brother and sister. At the beginning of the film David is portrayed as an awkward teenage boy, not being the popular one at school and definitely not having many friends. David is shown as being unhappy with his life and is therefore outlined using the television program â€Å"pleasantville† as an escape. In Ross's film this is shown in a scene between David and his mother, David's mother is shown on the phone arguing to his father about who received custody of the children on that weekend, the audience can see the distance between the children and parents, this is one of the complications in David's life. David is depicted sitting in the next room watching his favourite T. V program â€Å"pleasantville†, a close-up is used on David's face to show his intense concentration on the program, he attempts to block out his mothers voice as she becomes louder by also increasing the volume of the television. What David longs for is to be a part of Pleasantville where there is zero negativity. Opposed with David is his sister Jennifer. Typical 90's teenage girl, Jennifer wears the latest clothes, and dating the â€Å"coolest† boys in school, her main priority is increasing her rank in the social ladder. These differences are depicted in a scene from the playground when David sits and talks to his friend about Pleasantville, the camera then pans the playground to the opposite side of a fence, where Jennifer is seen alking to her friends. The pan shows the distance between the two characters, whilst the objective of the fence is to act as a symbolic object symbolising their differences. Once they are transported into pleasantville, physical and imaginative journey, David takes the role of â€Å"Bud† one of the protagonists in the program and Jennifer now taking on the role of â€Å"Mary Sue†, the roles of David and Jennifer have changed as David understands all the values of pleasantville, but it is all new to Jennifer. Due to Jennifer's lack of knowledge she doesn't care about Pleantville like David does and she begins to make changes, David isn't happy, â€Å"we have to play along or we will alter their universe†. Pleantville is David's fantasy and he doesn't want it to change in any way, â€Å"maybe it needs to be messed with† said by Jennifer demonstrates her opposing views. This gives the audience the knowledge that things are going to change. These changes are caused when the relationship between Jennifer, â€Å"Mary Sue† and Skip, captain of the basketball team, begins to advance. The beginning of change is depicted by a red rose in the alternate black and white world. Colour is very symbolic in â€Å"Pleasantville†, it signifies not only physical change of pleasantville but also the inner journeys each character undergoes. The values of Pleasantville also change with the physical changes. Individuality is not tolerated and these changes increases the characters ability to have their own thoughts and beliefs. David and Jennifer have remained black and white, even though they have been the cause of all the changes in pleantville, this symbolises that they are also in need for change. The intolerance for individuality is demonstrated when Betty, mother of Bud and Mary Sue, feel the need to hide the fact that she has also become coloured to conform to the norms of society, â€Å"I cant go out there looking like this† the grey make up is juxtaposed with the colour. Betty's personal inner journey deals with her appreciating her individuality therefore her colour. Her values as a housewife are also tested. David and Jennifer's values and characteristics are also shaped and moulded, these changes occurred in when their physical journey became and inner journey. David is more confident and content with who he is, and Jennifer also begins to appreciate herself a lot more and begins making personal changes such as studying and reading books. Once the two protagonists have reached the end of their inner journeys, they too become coloured. At the end of the film the audience is presented with the understanding that David and Jennifer have gone through a physical and inner journey not only in reality but in possibilities. â€Å"The Road not taken† by Robert Frost is an analogy of an inner journey in the form of a physical journey. â€Å"two roads lay in the yellow woods† this allows the reader to see the obvious possibilities involved in the journey the protagonist is undergoing, it also gives the reader the appearance of a physical journey. The audience will then come to an understanding that it is also an inner journey, the fork in the road outlines the decisions and options one must make in life, and there is always more than one. Robert Frost creates the atmosphere that one can only choose one path in life and it determines everything, one must choose the path that is best suited for themselves although you may not know what the future holds, â€Å"looking down both, not seeing past where the path meets the undergrowth†. The path that is chosen will grow and change the character of the person, therefore being an inner journey. The â€Å"yellow woods† are symbolic as they represent maturity. â€Å"I choose the one less travelled by and that made all the difference† this quote suggest that Frost has chosen the less popular option in his life, maybe utilising harder work, but that made all the difference in his future. The readers have great feeling that he has also grown as a person. â€Å"Journey to the Interior† by Margaret Atwood is another analogy of an inner journey in a physical journey. Atwood uses the Canadian landscape to describe her conscience, she describes it as being â€Å"dark† and â€Å"spindly† also calling it â€Å"poor land†. Atwood allows the reader to feel as if inner journey to find oneself are treacherous and dangerous, and if undergoing a physical journey which will eventually be part of the inner journey one is presented with many distractions, a person may also feel completely lost and incapable like being caught â€Å"in tangles of branches† or an â€Å"invincible net of air†. Like Robert Frost, Atwood makes the future seem uncertain, full of possibilities that one can not prepare for she describes the future as â€Å"not the easy going from point to point, a dotted line on a map†¦ †, she also mentions that one can not take directions from others on their own personal journey, they must be their own guide â€Å"a compass is useless†¦ †. In her poem Margaret Atwood explains that a person must make time to find their inner self, keeping focused on the journey they began â€Å"whatever I do I must keep my head†, causing changes and becoming a better and happier version of their former self. These three text have outlined that any journey includes both realities and possibilities as there is always more than one option in life and in any situation presented. These possibilities and realities are also determined with the individual and how far they plan to exceed in their journeys.

Are good intentions necessary for moral action

The intention of the man to return the phone is enough to account for moral action. But, consequentiality like Bethel believes that the consequence of the moral action determines whether the actions are right or wrong not the intention, even though the intention may be good; the means justifies the end. For example, if the man who finds the phone and thinks to return it but forget, his act is morally wrong because the consequence of his action did not bring out a good outcome. The phone of the owner is still missing. The consequence of the action seems to be a better determinant for oral action rather than good intentions.Sometimes, no matter how pure the good intentions are, they do not always lead to good outcomes. Good intentions could bring about disaster such as in case of terrorism. People fail to think about the outcome of the intention before acting out. The object and circumstance also play important roles in determining the moral action. Therefore, it cannot be the necessar y component of moral action unless the outcome is good. Terrorist to us seem like bad people who should be locked up or worse, deserve to die. Even though, we do not see this, terrorists believe they are sighting for a just cause.For example, the 9/1 1 attack in 2000, the terrorists believed they were fighting for the rights of Muslims who have experienced hate violence. So, to some people they were freedom fighters or soldiers like during a conventional war. According McPherson, terrorism, if compared to conventional war, is not wrong because they both attack non combatants. And sometimes, conventional war causes more harm than terrorism (Can p; 279). Terrorism is still wrong, the innocent are still killed and there is no side effect of justice being carried out.In fact, terrorism often does the opposite of what it sets out to achieve and produces tyranny forcing people to surrender or die. Unlike conventional war, terrorism often takes it too far and it is mostly an indirect form of confrontation like suicide bomber, a bomb planted on the street or even a person shooting people of a particular group out of nowhere. They do not consider the outcome of their actions. There is no way terrorism is a justifiable act, it is a threat to political party but to the public in general. They do have any remorse for vulnerable group such as children, hey take out their attacks on anyone (Can p; 272).It does not matter if the intentions of terrorist group are good and often they are not, the outcome of the action is worse and it causes a lot of disaster and damage to individuals and their family. Therefore, in the form of morality, terrorism breaks all form of moral codes and is wrong. Good intentions often go bad quite easily because we as individuals has different views about life and what seems good to us might be terrible to another. Sometimes, we treat others how feel we should treated not considering they may not like that.We often hear the expression, â€Å"it is the thought that counts,† but you cannot guarantee that the person will be thinking the way you are when you perform the action. All the individual sees is the action and not the intent. For example, if I bought my friend threw my friend a surprise party without knowing she hates surprise parties because she has a disorder. She walks and everyone yells surprise and she starts screaming in panic and ends in a hospital. The intention was good but the outcome not so much, although, all people see is a bad friend.The fault with good intention is that it tries to please everyone which is not possible and ends up making situations worse than they are. Sometimes, people never consider thinking about the outcome before they play it out the action. For example, in political campaigns when the politicians promise the crowd pleaser such healthcare, decrease in poverty etc and they are elected. A few months into the term, and there is no observable action on a better healthcare system or a decline in poverty rates because there is a decline in the economy and tax is increased, the citizens will complain.It will not matter f the politician has a good intention because the outcome was not good. You can not sell a car mentally to a person; therefore, you cannot mentally assume that people know your intention is good. Good intention is not relevant component of moral action unless the outcome of the action is good. In order for an action to be morally good, the three components must be good or at least neutral in its object with consideration of the circumstance and have a good intention (Curran & McCormick p; 221). This means that even though the intention is good as long as the object or circumstance of the action is bad, the action is bad.The aim or purpose of the act determines the object. The ‘Voodoo, why, where, how and by what means† determines the circumstance of the moral act. For example, let us take the case of a suicide bomber named Hosannas. A m an, Hosannas, is forced to commit suicide bombing to save his family. He commits suicide bombing and about 200 people are killed in the mall. In this scenario, the object of the act, killing of innocent people, is bad. The intention is good, sacrificing his life for his family, therefore preserving life.The circumstance of the act is bad: (who) about 200 innocent people doing their jobs or shopping in the mall dies; (why) Hosannas was killing to protect his family; (where) Hosannas is the mall filled with innocent people;(how) he blew himself up along with the entire building; (by what means)with a bomb. Therefore, the moral action is bad despite the intention being good. Let us take another scenario, where Hosannas is a Muslim who believes the Muslim terrorist group are fighting for the Muslims and defending the religion. So, he takes matters into his hands and commits suicide bombing in the name of Allah and kills about 200 people in mall.In this scenario, the object of the act, k illing innocents, this is bad. The intention is good or indifferent, defending the Muslims against injustice. The circumstance of the act is bad: (who) about 200 innocent people doing their jobs or shopping in the mall dies; (why) Hosannas was defending the Muslim honor in the name of Allah; (where)Hosannas is in the mall filled with innocent people; (how) he blew himself and kills everyone the building too; (by what means )with a bomb. This scenario also shows another wrong action with the intention not being important.So, therefore, the object and circumstance play important roles in shaping the act as either being morally good or bad. As Saint Bernard of Calvarias said â€Å"the road to hell is paved with good intentions. † This is true, as we see that, although, good intentions mean well, it does not always take the form of justice or morally right. That is people with good intentions end up doing the exact opposite of what they set out to accomplish. And Consequentiality like Bethel, unlike Kantian ethics sees this point as being true because the outcome Of the act is what counts not the intent.In the case of terrorism, we see that terrorism can be in form of good intent and not distinctively wrong. It can also seem as act of heroism in the case of people defending their religion, but it is not. It always ends up bringing destruction and death of the innocents. Terrorist acts do not follow moral code and have no remorse for anyone. Good intentions do not always bring about great success because we cannot expect people to think the way we think. Also, people often fail to think ahead about the outcome of the act before playing it out. This often leads to bad results even with the purest of intent.